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
• Faith Development
• 2023 Service Auction
• Announcements
• Events This Week
• Last Sunday
• Connect to Our Larger Faith
• Caring Team

The Martyred Heretic

Presented by Rev Dr Richard Speck

Have you ever heard of Michael Servetus? He was a theologian who dared to think and write books in the face of the Spanish Inquisition and Calvinist Geneva of the Protestant Reformation. He was hated by both for his radical words about God and Jesus. He was one of the first Unitarian and Universalist proponents and helped lay the foundation for our modern faith. Come and learn about our rich history of following the free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

BIO: The Reverend Doctor Richard Speck is the retired District Executive for the Joseph Priestley District (JPD) of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. He was named Minister Emeritus in 2019. Previously, he served nine years as minister to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach, FL, before coming to the JPD in 2000 as Acting District Executive. In his last two years in Florida he also served as the music director for the church. He graduated from Meadville/Lombard Theological School with a Doctorate in Ministry in 1990. He was hired as the regular District Executive in 2001. He served fourteen years as DE before retiring from full time ministry in 2014.

Richard continues to be active in social justice programs like the Black Lives Matters and The Coalition to Dismantle the New Jim Crow in Delaware. He is married to Janet Tillman and resides in Wilmington, DE. He enjoys making music, flying his own airplane, and creating stained glass art. Janet and Richard have 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.

Each week we offer a basket in the sanctuary to collect items for the local food pantry, the animal shelter, and the Coalition Against Rape and Abuse. This week however the children of the congregation, dressed in costume, will collect the donations trick-or-treat style. So please remember to bring in your donations this week!

I hope this month you were able to delve into the "Gift of Heritage," that you made some connections to your personal heritage, our shared UU heritage, and the legacy you will leave behind. May this poem "Remember" by Joy Harjo bless you through the ending of this month's theme.

Please RSVP by clicking on the image below!

Experi-learning- opening minds and hearts to new possibilities and then trying new ways of doing things and learning from the results. (From Mistakes and Miracles, page 60)

Don’t forget our common read, Mistakes and Miracles, to be discussed this December.

Copies are available to borrow. See Janet Longo or Jessica Dunn Safonof.

Now that you’ve made your donations to the 18th annual UUCSJS Auction on November 18th – you’ve made them, haven’t you? – let’s discuss the types of auctions you’ll likely encounter on Auction night.

Silent Auction

The Silent Auction is anything but! It’s the largest of the auctions in that it includes events, items, services, handmade items and baked goods. It gets awfully noisy in what we call the “sanctuary.”

Let’s discuss bidding in the Silent Auction. Each item or event or service has a sheet on which you write your name and bid. Bid high, or check back, because someone may outbid you! If the bids are a fixed price, as with events, you win it when you write your name on one of the pre-numbered lines.

The “Win it now” price means that if you really, really, really want the item, you can write your name on the bottom line next to the “win it now” price and give the sheet to the table monitor. You pay that price – which is usually closer to the estimated value of the item – but that perfect item will be yours before the evening is out!

Live Auction

The Live Auction is when you get to hold up a paddle with your number to bid on something as the auctioneer calls out the offered bids. This is the big time, the main event, the show, the major leagues, the cat’s pajamas. This is when – unlike when you were in grade school and had to use the bathroom – holding up your hand could get you in serious trouble. But this is also the most fun part of the auction! Don’t dare wave to someone in the front row, or you could be the proud, new owner of a gold-plated birdcage.

Chance Auction

The Chance Auction is when you buy tickets, and then place a ticket in the cup in front of the item you want to win. Later, we call out the numbers, and if we pick your number, it’s all yours! Definitely fun for everyone!

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

One of the roles of the Committee on Ministry is to monitor the health and functioning of the congregation. The congregation has changed since the pandemic and the ways that people engage with the congregation have also changed. You are invited to participate in this engagement survey. Your responses will help us in understanding how members and friends of the congregation are currently engaging with UUCSJS; where you see yourselves in relation to the congregation at this point. We also want to provide an opportunity to communicate other thoughts you may have about the congregation in an open-ended format.

A response before Nov. 15th will be most useful, we are looking forward to your responses.

Click here to access survey: UUC South Jersey Shore's 2023 Engagement Survey

The Fall, with its cooler weather and lessened chance of insect problems, is a great time to walk our Woodland Memorial Path or spend a quiet moment on one of the benches in our Memorial Circle. Our woods are especially beautiful at this time of the year. The shrub layer made up of three species of huckleberry is in the process of turning peach, orange, and scarlet. And interesting types of mushrooms can be found along the path along with an evergreen groundcover of sweet smelling wintergreen.

Jesse Connor

Margaret Circle will meet Thursday, Nov 2, at 1:00. Katy Cardwell has the program, and it will be "Conversation Starters" A group of pre-written questions will be provided, and we will take turns drawing them from a hat. These questions are meant to stimulate interesting conversation. We will go around the circle and allow everyone to answer each question. These questions should promote some interesting conversation and, hopefully, allow us to get to know each other more deeply, and even provide some laughs. Hope you'll join us!

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.

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.

We are Unitarian Universalists, people of many backgrounds who have different beliefs, but shared values. Together, we offer a guided path towards a better you and a better world. Learn more in this short animated video.

Click on the graphic above to read more about the following and more:

• Featured Resource: Disaster Relief Fund
• Covenant Calls Us In: The Why of Covenant
  
• CER Events at a Glance
• News from the UUA

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.

Sunday Services 10:30 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