UUCSJS Midweek Message

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Email admin@uucsjs.org or call Jess at 609-965-9400 if you need assistance

• Upcoming Sunday Services
• Connect to Our Monthly Theme
• Notes from the Board
• Events This Week
• Announcements
• Call to Action
• Caring Team
• Last Sunday
• Connect to Our Faith

with Guest Speakers Gail Rosenthal and Irvin Moreno-Rodriguez

When learning the history of WWII, often the stories of rescue and resistance are not included. Non-Jewish rescuers and others who resisted in Nazi-occupied Europe changed the history of the Holocaust. Yes, one person can make a difference!

About Gail: Gail Hirsch Rosenthal is the Director of the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University. She began her teaching career in Philadelphia and when she moved “down the shore,” she continued teaching part-time at ACC. After meeting Dr. Vera King Farris, she was asked to join the faculty/staff at Stockton College in 1984. Since 1990, Gail has been full-time at Stockton teaching in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and also supervising the Holocaust Resource Center.

About Irvin: Irvin Moreno-Rodriguez is Assistant Director of the Sara & Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center. He graduated Atlantic City High School in 2011. Irvin then enrolled in Stockton University entering Stockton’s Honors Program and in 2015, he earned a BA degree in Criminal Justice and a Minor in Holocaust & Genocide Studies. Irvin worked several years in the Criminal Justice field and gravitated back to Stockton University when an employment opportunity was advertised for a position in the Holocaust Resource Center. While employed in the Center, in 2022 Irvin earned a Master of Arts in Holocaust & Genocide Studies and congratulations to Irvin. Irvin Moreno Rodriguez was appointed by Governor Murphy to be a member of the NJ Commission on Holocaust Education. He is the youngest individual to be appointed to the NJ Commission on Holocaust Education since its inception.

PLEASE NOTE: This service will be in person at UUCSJS and streamed live on our Facebook page. A recording will be available later in the day on our YouTube Channel.

*Masks are currently optional at UUCSJS.

When it comes to contemplating wonder, star-gazing tops the list. For scientists and mystics alike, it’s one of the primary ways we humans sort out our mysterious place in the universe and the mystery of who we are. As we connect with the wider universe, we connect more deeply with ourselves. This exercise invites you to lean into this wondrous connection between the stars above and deep meaning within.

The instructions are simple:

• Wait for a clear night sky.
• Find a place away from light pollution where you can see the stars.
• Lie down on the ground or sit in a portable chair and lean back.
• Pull out your phone and play this reflection and/or music playlist to guide your reflection: We Are Stardust: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEbeRES6D-M Or this Stargazing Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5rrW8k0fsLN2nz9VmyKQME?si=4daa535558cc4581
• Optional: Download the app “planets” or "star map" and use it to locate star constellations
• Sit in silence
• Return home and journal or find a time to talk with a friend about what happened for - and to -you under the stars

Here is from information from our Board Meeting held Thursday, December 8, 2022:

• Please be on the look out for pledge status reports that are currently being sent out for end of the year records.
• We continue to make progress on our audio visual project but it is a slow process. The new sound board is working and the outlets for the televisions have been installed. Special thanks to John Rosenberg, David Weesner and Kit Marlowe who have spent hours on this project.
• The congregation has voted to change the time of the service to be effective January 8th through the end of April 2023. Please keep in mind that this is a temporary change and will be revisited in the future. The board asks for your cooperation as we evaluate this change.
• Stockton Day Of Service-The Stockton students want to be of service on Martin Luther King Day, January 16th. Building & Grounds will prepare a list of tasks for the students.
• Margaret Lewis (a professor at Stockton) leads a boy scout troop in Smithville. They will lose their charter at Emmaus Methodist Church on January 1st. They are looking for a new home and she along with our own John Brilla were guests at our board meeting to see if we had an interest in sponsoring the troop. The troop has 32 members (middle and high school age, very diverse population from Galloway, Atlantic City and Egg Harbor City). They are looking for us to sign a charter agreement with the troop that regulates our relationship. We would allow them to use our facilities for free (once a week, perhaps Monday night). The youth would attend a Scout Sunday at the church once a year. The UUA has a Memo of Understanding with the Boy Scouts of America which allows congregations to charter with the boy scouts. John Brilla is very active with this troop and would act as a liaison and be our point person for this endeavor. The Board was very excited about this prospect and will meet in the next week via zoom to discuss further.
• Jeff Taylor will be taking a leave of absence as chair of our Finance Committee. John Brilla has agreed to be the chairman of the committee until Jeff can return.

In fellowship,

Marty Quish

UUCSJS Board President

Click on the graphic below or visit the calendar at uucsjs.org for more information on events and meetings.

CLICK HERE to reserve the Zoom Room or to add your event to the calendar.

Book Club will be meeting Friday, December 16th at 7:00 pm on ZOOM (www.tinyurl.com/uucsjszoom).

THE CHRISTMAS BOOKSHOP by Jenny Colgan

This Edinburgh-set Christmas novel is full of references to books, descriptions of the twisty Insides of a bookshop, and fun details about Scotland, Quakerism, and the centuries-old Great Yew Tree of Ormiston.

Join us if you can! All Welcome!

Info: morellb@msn.com

The faith action committee will hold a zoom meeting every third week of the month on a Monday at 6:30 PM. Our next meeting will be Monday, December 19th at 6:30 PM. Join at www.tinyurl.com/uucsjszoom

To have your announcement placed in the Midweek Message, please send an email to admin@uucsjs.org by Noon on Wednesday.

There will be a second collection for ESWA this Sunday. This is a crucial time for them as they undertake an enormous toy, food & clothing drive for the holidays.

They also are looking for volunteers tomorrow night (Thursday) and this Saturday to sort toys. Next week, they need drivers to deliver to the families. If you can help in any way, please contact Colby Tippins at 609-442-0967.

Readers and poets wanted for our Christmas Eve service! Do you have a special poem or a short prose piece you'd like to read at our Christmas Eve service? Or, would you like to read something that we find for you?

This special service will be held on December 24 at 4:30 pm. Please email Deb Dagavarian if interested: dagbonar4@gmail.com.

Did you forget the deadline?

Last minute toy donations are being accepted in UU foyer!!

Thanks to all of our invisible Santas. You make smiles bigger!

We invite and encourage you to make a donation to the Murray Grove Retreat and Renewal Center just a few minutes up the shore from us in Lacey Township. Murray Grove is the birthplace of Universalism in this country, and therefore has great significance in our denomination.

Please donate a check or cash to UUCSJS and drop it in our collection basket, indicating that it’s for Murray Grove. And, if you donate before December 31, the congregation will match the donation up to $250! So please get those donations in, either next Sunday or at our Christmas Eve service. See link below if you prefer to donate online. Your small contribution will enable a match that could make our donation worth $500! Any questions, ask Deb Dagavarian or Karen York.

Jessica is looking for a few volunteers to help out with the all ages worship service scheduled for January 8, 2023. If you would like to help, please email Jess Dunn Safonof.

Please speak with Colby if you wish to bring an arrangement of your choosing to our chalice table for a Sunday Service. Use your creativity!

Contact Colby Tippins call/text: 609-442-0967.

Contact a member of the Caring Team

Team members can provide you with support during/after an illness, a death in the family, or other loss or hardship. They can find you resources, run errands, or provide meals in time of need.

Reach out to:

• Tracey Catino at (609) 674-8721 email: Traceysnaps@msn.com
• Helen Utts at (609) 338-3391 email: HelenUtts@aol.com
• Tony Zitelli at (201) 463-2800 email: happy85a@aol.com
• Barbara Morell at (215) 805-7599 email: morellb@msn.com
• Janet Longo at (609) 748-8608 email: jilportnj@comcast.net

Caring Team is looking for members who are willing to attend monthly Zoom meetings and help out when congregants are sick or suffering from hardships. Please contact Tracey Catino if you can join our confidential group.

Here you will find ways to learn about and connect with our faith and opportunities to connect with other UU's from outside our congregation.

Click on the images for more information.

Central East Region Information- Updated for December!

Click on the image below for more information and to view more events in our area.

Sunday Services 10 am in person and livestreamed on Facebook.

Email: admin@uucsjs.org
Website: www.uucsjs.org
Location: 75 S Pomona Rd, Egg Harbor City, NJ, USA
Phone: (609) 965-9400
Facebook: facebook.com/uucsjs
Twitter: @UUCSJS