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

The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals: Join Us in Fighting for their Implementation!

Andy Cowgill and John Sherfey

In 2015, all nations agreed on a goal statement for sustainable development. By 2030, the goals the world would have achieved include ending poverty and hunger, gender equality, affordable and clean energy, climate action, and more. Unfortunately, our federal government, across multiple administrations, has done little to publicize the goals, and even less to implement the recommended targets. To take a single example: our commitment was to END poverty in the U.S. by 2030, but the gap between rich and poor has reached an unprecedented level! Eastern Service Workers Association's organizing efforts -- in which many UUCSJS members play an important part -- are uniting people across south Jersey to build a groundswell of involvement and action demanding full implementation of the goals. Learn additional steps you can take to fight for our collective future. If we don't do it, who will?

BIOS: Andy Cowgill grew up in Minnesota. After gaining a variety of experiences in community service, political organizing and activism in Ecuador, San Jose (CA), Boston and elsewhere, he became a full-time volunteer organizer in 1999. For the last 13 years, Andy has been the Operations Manager of Eastern Service Workers Association (ESWA) in Pleasantville.

John Sherfey grew up in Williamstown in a family with deep roots in the South Jersey agricultural industry. John graduated from Stockton University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. John began organizing full-time in 2021, after working as a chemist and running a small business. He now serves as ESWA’s Administrative Assistant and Educational Coordinator.

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.

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

UUCSJS will present a concert video of Craig Hella Johnson's choral oratorio, "Considering Matthew Shepard" during Pride Month. This year is the 25th anniversary of Shepard’s death, which captured national attention. This performance by the nation's first LGBTQ+ chorus, The Stonewall Chorale, was filmed on March 25th, 2023. The soaring musical work first premiered in 2016, and was nominated for a Grammy. The presentation will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, Colin Taber, who found himself captivated by this material and inspired to promote awareness of the piece and the work of The Stonewall Chorale. It will be presented on Friday, June 23, 2023 from 7:00-9:00 pm, in the UUCSJS sanctuary.

BIRTHING JUSTICE FILM

This is an 1hr 25m film which is currently available to view on PBS until 6/9/23 and may be available (www.birthingjustice.com) on other streaming sites.

The US is the only industrialized nation in the world where maternal mortality is rising. Black woman are three to five times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white woman and 80% of those deaths are preventable.

This film addresses this national crisis by turning the spotlight on the progress being made by health initiatives and uplifting evidence-based practices to adopt more widely. The film offers solutions that can be implemented in communities across the country.

A limited number of grocery gift cards for Shoprite and Acme are available for purchase on Sunday morning. Proceeds from the sale of these cards benefit UUCSJS operating budget.

Please complete the following form using the link below to indicate your interest in purchasing cards and whether you would be interested in making regular purchases of these cards.

Deb Dagavarian is putting together another Poetry Service for June 25th! If you are interested in reading one or two poems – your own or someone else’s – please contact Debbi as soon as possible. Show off your creativity!

The last Circle Dinner of the Spring will be held on June 3rd. Sign-ups will begin this Sunday, April 30th , and continue until May 21st. If there is enough interest another dinner will be scheduled for the Fall.

Sign-up sheets along with a complete description are available at the back table in the Sanctuary. In brief, dinners are generally 8 people. Each couple, or singles grouped as a twosome, are assigned a course. Hosts hold the dinner in their home and provide an appetizer. Other assignments are Main Course, Salad and Bread, Dessert.

The schedule with course assignments will go out shortly after the May 21st deadline. You may also sign up my emailing mariet@comcast.net , be sure to include your name, preferred email, address, and phone number.

Circle dinners are a great away for newer members and friends to get to know us in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. The feedback from the dinners has been very positive. Please consider joining us.

Marie Taylor

Do you love the arrangements you see on the chalice table each Sunday? Are you feeling creative? Sign up to bring floral or other arrangement for our chalice table!

Let Colby know ahead of time or text 609-442-0967 to schedule your arrangements.

Secretary on Tour

Kit Marlowe, UUCSJS’s Board Secretary, will be in the Caucasus for almost three weeks. The timing is not convenient: We are getting ready for the annual congregational meeting.

Kit prepared a meeting agenda and an absentee ballot form to be distributed after Board review. He will not be able to assemble the Annual Report until the week before the meeting. He apologizes to the members for any problems this may cause.

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.

Due to various conflicts, last month’s BOOK CLUB was canceled – sad news. But now the GOOD NEWS !!!! We will be doing two books in May !!!! Pretty sure we can handle it and there is actually kind of a connection between both books.

FRESH WATER FOR FLOWERS by Valerie Perrin

Violette Toussaint is the caretaker at a cemetery in a small town in Bourgogne. Her life is lived to the predictable rhythms of the often funny, always moving confidences that casual mourners, regular visitors, and sundry colleagues share with her. Violette’s routine is disrupted by the arrival of Julien Sole – local police chief –and their lives intertwine. Judy Pereira will lead discussion.

THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig

Between life and death there is a library. When Nora Seed finds herself there, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels that she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change. Marsha Hannah will lead discussion.

We will be meeting Friday, May 19, at 7:00 pm on ZOOM (www.tinyurl.com/uucsjszoom) .

All are welcome and encouraged to attend. Questions: Barb Morell

Have you ever heard of Gordon Parks? He was a photographer (among other creative pursuits) who documented American life and culture from the early 1940s into the 2000s, with a focus on race relations, poverty, civil rights, and urban life. He once said “I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera.”

View the video below to see the story how Gordon Parks documented desegregation for Life magazine then think what role art can play in bringing awareness to social issues and sparking change.

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.

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.

Sunday Services 11 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

Mailing Address: PO Box 853, Pomona NJ 08240
Phone: (609) 965-9400
Facebook: facebook.com/uucsjs
Twitter: @UUCSJS