UUCSJS Midweek Message

• Connect to the Monthly Theme
• Minister's Midweek Meditation
• Announcements
• This Sunday
• Events This Week
• Connect to Our Faith

We take a break from monthly worship themes for July and August. It is the perfect time to learn more about our faith and check out these and more offerings from Soul Matters!

Visit Soul Matter Sharing Circle for more information.

Greetings, beloved people,

As the new fiscal year begins, we look to the rest of the summer in expectation that we will again meet in person on Sunday mornings. The annual ingathering and water ceremony on September 12 will be all the more powerful for our extended separation from each other.

I will be back in the office and look forward to seeing folks beginning July 21. As ever, my work schedule is Wed-Sun, with sabbath on Mondays and Tuesdays. I will begin preaching earlier this year than in the past, beginning on August 1, and again on August 18. Keep an eye on the worship calendar on our website for sermon titles and descriptions.

I am looking forward to the day when I can see you in person, shake your hand, or offer a hug (with consent and appropriate protective measures, of course!) and hear your real voices. I encourage you to think about the water you plan to bring to the ingathering service and to send photos of water that is special to you (no pictures of people's faces, please!) to Jess (admin@uucsjs.org) so that we can create a slideshow for that special service.

We will not abandon our online worship presence, because we have learned how valuable it is for those who live far away or who are unable to attend in person. I expect it will be a little bumpy and weird at first, but if the past 16 months have taught us anything, it is that this congregation can rise to any occasion and solve almost any problem. We will figure it out. I know we will, because including everyone is important to all of us.

I look forward to seeing you all in a few weeks, and I hope you are able to stay cool and safe through the heat.

Blessings,

Rev. Dawn

Minister's Midweek Meditation is on a summer break. New videos will begin in September. You can catch up on past Minister's Midweek Meditations on the YouTube Playlist.

Rev. Dawn is currently on vacation. If you are in need, please contact a member of our Caring Team.

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
• Denise O'Meara at (610) 316-7495 email: denome53@gmail.com
• Helen Utts at (609) 338-3391 email: HelenUtts@aol.com
• MaryLou DeMaria-Berhang at (201) 247-5635 email: MLberhang@gmail.com
• Tony Zitelli at (201) 463-2800 email: happy85a@aol.com

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

Planning a special event? The Communications Team can help. Visit https://uucsjs.breezechms.com/form/42685e for more information.

The Little Gardens Club of AC will be holding their 22nd garden tour on July 11, a Sunday, between 9 AM and 3 PM rain or shine.

Ticket cost is $15. All profits benefit environmental causes.

Tickets are presently available at Joe’s, Bob’s, and Lang‘s Garden Centers, in addition to Homestead Nursery. On July 11 the tickets will be available at the Linwood Arboretum. This year Barbara and Steve Fiedler‘s native plant garden will be on the tour as well as Reed’s Organic Farm. Damon Smith is presently actively involved in bringing this project to fruition. Come out and enjoy. Contact Janet Longo or email admin@uucsjs.org for more information.

Pomona Road looks down & dirty and we’re opening up, so let’s get out there again and clean up our neighborhood!

SATURDAY, JULY 17 at 8:30 AM

Many hands needed, so please come even for the very first time, if you can… We will meet on the front porch at the UU Center – to pick up safety vests, gloves, grabber tools, and trash bags – and then walk along each verge of Pomona Road between Moss Mill and the fencing beside Lake Fred. Your participation helps earn our yearly stipend from ACUA, besides improving our immediate surroundings.

RAIN DATE: Sunday, August 8, at 8:00 AM

(Cancellation emailed via UU Listserv at 10 PM the night before)

“Many hands make light work.” – John Heywood (1497-1580)

Guest speaker Pat LaManna

Turns out, it’s easier to affirm the inherent worth and dignity of some people than others. Pat explores what it means to affirm every person’s inherent worth and dignity. No exceptions. You may be surprised to learn that she found a bunch of songs to share with you that express that sentiment better than mere words can.

Sunday at 10 am at www.tinyurl.com/uucsjszoom or call in to (929)436-2866 then enter: 2246776604#, 0#, 306591#. Make sure to update your Zoom software before Sunday morning so you aren't late to church!

Join us on July 18th when Jessica Dunn Safonof, Director of Religious Education, will present an all-ages service "The Seven Principles: More Action, Fewer Words."

And on July 25, 2021, when Barbara Miller will bring us an outdoor music service with Grace Notes. This service will be outdoors. Please bring lawn chairs and your own water.

Information on upcoming services can be found HERE.

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

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

The UUCSJS Board of Trustees will meet this Thursday, July 8, 2021, on-site at UUCSJS at 6:30pm.

All are welcome to attend either in person or through Zoom.

Join via Zoom at www.tinyurl.com/uucsjszoom.

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

Click on the images for more information.

UU Faith Action recognizes the importance of five crucial social action causes.

They are

• criminal justice,
• environmental justice,
• gun violence prevention,
• immigration justice and
• reproductive justice.

All are actually state-level committees. The interesting thing is, in the age of Zoom, we can be on any of these task forces. All you have to do is figure out which one appeals to you the most, go to UUfaithaction.org, learn the name of a chair or co-chair of the task force which interests you, and then email the chair or co-chair about your desire to be on the task force. It is as simple as that. It’s an opportunity to learn, form alliances with other groups, and bring back information to us. They meet once a month. I have met several task force members. For example, they lobby, write regulations, and attend vigils such as the one held at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women. Evidently, political pressure does work. I read governor Murphy has shuttered the facility. So with effort, change is possible.

Let me know if you’re interested. Contact Janet Longo or email admin@uucsjs.org for more information.

Sunday Services 10 am on Zoom at tinyurl.com/uucsjszoom

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