UUCSJS Midweek Message

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Back to the Future: Community, Generosity, and Connection

Presented by Karen York

Join us as we kick off Stewardship Season!

BIO: Karen York grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and attended a Unitarian congregation as a child. She moved to the Northeast after college, and to south Jersey in 1995 to take a job at Stockton University after completing her PhD. She is a charter member of UUCSJS. Karen currently serves on the Finance Committee, Stewardship Committee and the Committee on Ministry. She volunteered for 25 years in children's religious education and especially enjoyed teaching the preschool children. She has been on the UUCSJS Board of Trustees, and served as President, and Treasurer. Karen also serves on the Development Committee for Murray Grove Association in Lanoka Harbor, NJ, which is the site where Universalism in America began in 1770. When not at UUCSJS, Dr. Karen York is a Professor Emeritus of Biology, who teaches lecture and laboratory courses in microbiology, genetics, and general biology. She does research on antibiotic producing soil bacteria, and science education. She is a widow, whose grown son, Brian, now lives in Philadelphia. She enjoys reading, music, and spending time enjoying nature and her two cats.

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.

The theme of the month is The Gift of Transformation. What does transformation mean for us as Unitarian Universalists? We describe ourselves as a “living tradition” which means we expect changes as we learn and grow. We can acknowledge that change can be hard and celebrate change at the same time as long as we also remember to be gentle with each other during the difficulties that come about with change.

Hopefully you are aware of the changes that have been proposed in how we articulate the principles or values of our faith. Each month of this past year we have been exploring the "gifts" our faith gives us to use in the world. Those "gifts" have all been the values proposed for the changes in the UUA Article II bylaws.

Here is the wording that is used for this month's theme and the proposed value of Transformation: “Transformation: We adapt to the changing world. We covenant to collectively transform and grow spiritually and ethically. Openness to change is fundamental to our Unitarian and Universalist heritages, never complete and never perfect.”

To help you dig a little deeper into the idea of transformation, check out the video below on AI art. Artificial Intelligence is changing how we think and interact in everyday world. Machines are transforming how we work, how we communicate, what we see, where we go and how we get there. Are you open to this gift of transformation?

Starting Point

This course, geared toward newcomers or those who need a refresher on UUism, is an introduction to who we are and what we do - the “UU path.” Inspired by the classic UU slogan, “deeds not creeds,” we will present Unitarian Universalism as a particular way of journeying through the world rather than a set of beliefs to which one assents. Participants will work together to answer the question “Will this place provide me with tools and partners for my spiritual journey?”

This will be the first of four sessions. Participation in all session is not required but will provide a clearer understanding of our faith tradition and where you fit.

Email religiouseducation@uucsjs.org to register.

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

March 17 to April 21, 2024

The programs and services we enjoy each year are made possible through the generous financial support of our members and friends. While donations and pledges of support are accepted at any time, to assist with planning in advance for the year ahead we have a season of stewardship each spring. The goal in this five-week period is to receive advance pledges of anticipated support from as many of our members and friends as possible to incorporate that information into our proposed budget (We are currently developing a budget plan for July 2024 to June 2025.).

Our stewardship drive this year will be from March 17th to April 21th . It is the collective generosity of our community that makes UUCSJS possible! Pledge material with more details will distributed beginning March 17th .

Karen York, Stewardship Chair

Article II of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Bylaws, Principles and Purposes, is the foundation for all of the work of our UUA and its member congregations and covenanted communities. It is the covenant to which all of our congregations and covenanted communities pledge themselves when they become members of our UUA. And there are some BIG changes proposed that YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT!

In preparation for the next stage of the bylaws adoption process we will begin a series of discussion groups to be held following service on the first Sunday of each month. Our first meeting will be Sunday, April 7th.

These groups will help to prepare you for our congregational vote at the Annual Meeting of the UUCSJS on June 9th, 2024. Our congregation's delegates will then attend the UUA General Assembly June 20-23, 2024 where they will cast the votes for our congregation. Will it be a yea or a nay? Let's talk about it!

Our new common read is On Repentance and Repair by Rabbi Danya Rittenberg. We have ordered several copies which will be available in the lobby this Sunday. Discussion will take place April 14th after the service.

Danya Rittenberg’s book is rooted in traditional Jewish concepts and the work of medieval philosopher Maimonides, Born in Spain around 1135 AD.

When it comes to harmful situations, society has placed a great deal of emphasis upon forgiveness which places the brunt of repair on the wounded. Repentance and Repair turns to those who are struggling to take responsibility for their mistakes. Chapter one describes five steps of repentance based on Maimonides teachings. These teachings can be applied to personal transgressions and to our culture’s most painful and unresolved issues.

Saturday, April 20

And Celebrate

— being a part of this resurgent community

— the conclusion of our 2024 Stewardship Campaign

— the happy end of COVID cocooning

— the welcome arrival of spring

In holding this event once again we will be carrying on traditions that began in 1999 and continued every year until 2020 when COVID shut us down.

These traditions included a big potluck dinner. You are invited to bring a favorite main dish, side dish, salad, or dessert, or a beverage including beer or wine. This sharing creates a food extravaganza that we will monitor lightly, however, to make sure it includes enough for vegans and vegetarians.

There will be a signup period beginning Sunday, March 31, where you will designate what food – or what category of food – you will be bringing.

There will be icebreaker games… There will be a talent show… Think about how you might entertain: sing or play a song, read a poem, perform a comedy skit? Amateurs are welcome! Talk with Theresa McReynolds about what you’d like to do.

We are hoping to have a large turnout for our first fellowship dinner after four long years! We hope everybody comes to this event! That means those who have just started visiting us, too – and those who don’t always attend on Sundays – everybody needs to come to the Fellowship Dinner!

Hey, this means everybody! Y’all come!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their help with the Celebration Of Life for Sue Parks. Richard as usual put out the spread along with Nancy, Mike, and Tracy. I would like to thank Janet Longo for providing the beautiful plant on the altar. Gina and David for the music and sound. The Caring Committee and Margaret’s Circle for providing the deserts. Thanks also go out to Deb and Jess for the programs and Colby for making sure everything looked beautiful. If I have left anyone out, I apologize.

We are looking for help with our auction book. We need people and businesses to buy space for our book that accompany our biggest fundraiser of the year in November. We are trying to get an early start. If fundraising is one of your passions, please reach out to us at admin@uucsjs.org.

We are also looking for people to join our Speakers Bureau. We have dates coming up in June for LGBTQ+ Pride Events where we need people to man a table and speak to people about our congregation. If you can help us with this, please reply to the admin address above.

Marty Quish

President, UUCSJS Board of Trustees

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.

UUCSJS Book Club comes early this month! The book is Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. From Publisher's Weekly: ". . . elegiac, evocative . . . a resonant tale of fury, guilt, and redemption." Marsha Hannah will be leading the discussion. New people are always welcome. We meet on the UUCSJS Zoom on the third Friday of the month. March 15th at 7:00 pm.

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.

From Faith Action NJ:

The New Jersey Legislature is fast-tracking a bill that guts the Open Public Records Act (OPRA).

Just this Monday, the Senate Budget and Appropriations Cmte and the Assembly State and Local Government Cmte passed this bill out of committee, despite hours of compelling testimony from every corner of our United For Justice coalition.

This legislation continues to be fast-tracked and is scheduled to be heard in the Assembly Appropriations committee this Thursday, 3/14 at noon. It could be heard on the Senate and Assembly floor as early as Monday, 3/18.

S2930/A4045 creates unnecessary and difficult hurdles to access public records, limiting the public's ability to hold government accountable. Among other things, the bill:

• Exempts email and call logs, while also making it incredibly difficult to request emails at all;
• Undermines fee-shifting, making it prohibitively costly for the public and even the media to sue to gain access to records;
• Sets up additional unnecessary hurdles for the public to request documents or receive them in their requested formats;
• Creates a vague and subjective "harassment" loophole that will lead to unreasonable redactions and request denials;
• Establishes an unbalanced task force charged with examining public access to police records without meaningful community or stakeholder engagement.
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This bad legislation, if passed, will have a huge detrimental impact on all of our justice areas.

Defend transparency and urge your legislators to vote NO on S2930/A4045. Please add your voice today!

The Supreme Court announced it will begin hearing oral arguments on the abortion pill (Mifepristone) on March 26th. This will be the Court's first serious return to the issue of abortion since overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Women's March is mobilizing a targeted action in Washington, DC, and we need to know if you're willing to put your body on the line.

Click HERE for more information. Contact Kaulette Johnson if you are interested in attending - carpooling/bus may be available.

“What is love calling you to do?”

Side with Love is a public advocacy campaign that seeks to harness love’s power to stop oppression. It is sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association and all are welcome to join. Click on the graphic above for more information or visit https://sidewithlove.org/.

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

Denise O'Meara at (610) 316-7495 denome53@gmail.com

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.