This Sunday
The Great Turning and Allies In Caring's Role in Creating Life-Sustaining Communities
Presented by Ivette Guillermo McGahee
If you look for it, you can find evidence that our civilization is being reinvented all around us. Previously accepted approaches to healthcare, business, education, agriculture, transport, communication, psychology, economics, and so many other areas are being questioned and transformed. This is the second strand of the Great Turning, and it involves a rethinking of the way we do things, as well as a creative redesign of the structures and systems that make up our society.
Members of Allies In Caring will share the different ways this non profit organization providing behavioral health services is participating in these emerging strands of a life-sustaining culture in South Jersey.
BIO: Ivette is the founder and CEO of Allies In Caring, a New Jersey nonprofit offering behavioral health services for under-resourced individuals living in poverty, immigrants and individuals with disabilities. Additionally, Ivette serves as a consultant in the design team for the NJ Public Health Institute, The Elevating Equity in NJ program, and currently, the "Jenga Council", a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s advisory council that promotes health equity in NJ. Ivette's experience as a Mexican-born child of deaf parents (CODA) and sister of two deaf siblings, has provided profound understanding of the potential for growth that lies within the hardships that are a part of the human experience.
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.
Sept. 24th: Loss, Grief, and Healing
Presented by Cynthia Grzywinski
Many if not most of us have experienced deep feelings of grief and pain when a loved one has died. Oftentimes these include not only sadness, but darker emotions such as anger, regret, loneliness, disconnection, and fear that we may never feel joy, or be wholly alive again. In our Western culture, the topic of death is often taboo. Many hold an almost macho attitude toward those who are perceived as grieving too much, for too long, or not long enough. But is there ever a right way to grieve? By exploring the wisdom of religious traditions, psychological and philosophical insights, folklore and personal experience, and finding our shared interconnectedness, we may discover our own path through grief, leading us into the light of healing, and the joy of living.
October 1st: From Munkacs to Millville: The Story of Holocaust Survivor Elizabeth Roth
Presented by Irvin Moreno Rodriguez
This presentation will be on the new memoir published by the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center, From Munkács to Millville: The Story of Holocaust Survivor Elizabeth Roth. The book focuses on Holocaust survivor Elizabeth Roth's story of survival and resilience during and after World War II.
October 8th: Look Out! It's a Moral Panic!
Presented by Michael Cluff
From Mods versus Rockers to Political Correctness to Critical Race Theory, our society leapfrogs from one moral panic to another. How can we identify the difference between a manufactured moral panic and a legitimate concern?
Embracing the Living Tradition
Rev. Dr. Michael Tino writes:
"One of the defining characteristics of our Unitarian Universalist faith is that ours is a 'living tradition.' We do not etch our faith in stone precisely because we hold sacred that it must change. It must adapt to new challenges, it must meet new understandings, and it must evolve based on new experiences and connections.
This change includes our most central language as well, which is why our Association’s Bylaws mandate regular reviews of Article II of the UUA Bylaws, better known as the Principles, Sources, and Purposes of Unitarian Universalism.
The current version of how we articulate the center of Unitarian Universalism is the seven Principles. Those principles were introduced to us in 1985, and were a significant change from the concepts that preceded them. Their passage was not without disagreement, some of which was rooted in a love for the 1961 language.
In mid-January 2023, the commission that has been faithfully working for the past two years released their proposal for an Article II that leads our faith into the future. Most dramatically, it replaces our Principles with seven core Values, each of which comes with a charge to each of us, expressed as a covenant.
The values are centered on Love, named as a spiritual discipline that holds us together, and are named as Interdependence, Pluralism, Justice, Transformation, Generosity, and Equity. There’s even a beautiful graphic representation of them in the report. There are more words, of course. And most of what we love about our current Principles lives on in some version in our Covenant."
As we lean into our month of "Welcome," how can we embrace this living tradition with a renewed sense of welcome? How can we widen the circle to welcome all?
Greenlight Coffeehouse
There will be a meeting regarding the start-up of the Greenlight Coffeehouse on Sunday, September 17th after services.
The first coffeehouse is scheduled for Friday, September 29th, and I hope to recruit several of the people who said they were willing to help set-up and attend. We definitely need to meet prior to this to work out some details.
Contact Katy Cardwell to volunteer.
Hang out with friends at our 18th Annual Auction!
Submit your donation ideas N0W!!!!
Donation forms are in your Order of Service or you can print the form below.
Services: raking leaves, guitar lessons, surfing experiences, repair work around the house, ride to and from the airport, housecleaning, babysitting, therapeutic massage . . .
Dinners and Events: fondue party, kayaking, beer tasting, nature excursion, make your own pizza party, Pine Barrens tour, soup tasting with handmade bowl included, murder mystery party, vegan dinner . . .
Items: kitchen tool, radio, guitar, mantel clock, theatre gift certificate, briefcase, China teapot, cookie jar . . .
Handmade and Baked Goods: handcrafted jewelry, woodworked items, pesto, pies, cookies, home grown herbs, crocheted scarf, vegan cupcakes . . .
2022 Auction Event: Day of the Dead Bonfire Party
You are invited to join Steve McGahee and Ivette Guillermo McGahee for a Day of the Dead Bonfire Party on Saturday, October 28, 2023!
On the Day of the Dead, it’s believed that the border between the spirit world and the real-world dissolves. During this brief period, the souls of the dead awaken and return to the living world to feast, drink, dance and play music with their loved ones.
At this bonfire, you will celebrate, and learn more about the Day of the Dead, which is a Mexican tradition and holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives. You will have an opportunity to learn about the origins of this special day, celebrate with traditional delicious food & drinks, create a literary calavera, and enjoy traditional music. You are invited to bring a picture of your loved one who passed away and something s/he loved to add to the ofrenda (altar).
This event will be held at the home of Steve and Ivette in Pleasant Mills section of Hamonton. They have frontage on Lake Nescochague, which is where the bonfire will be. If the weather does not permit, it will be held inside their home.
To reserve your place for the event, visit the signup table in the sanctuary or email admin@uucsjs.org.
The cost is $30 per person.
From Building and Grounds
Effective immediately we will only collect plastic with numbers 1, 2, & 5 for recycling (as outlined by the ACUA). In a recent conversation with ACUA staff there is no market for the other plastics and ACUA has not been collecting / storing them for over two years. Going forward the non-recyclable plastics will go in with regular trash. The only way to change this is to put pressure on legislators and the plastics industry to make plastics that are more readily recyclable.
Circle Dinner Signup
The last Circle Dinner of 2023 will be held on October 7th. Sign-ups will begin this Sunday, Sept 3rd, and continue until Sept 24th.
Sign-up sheets are available at the back table in the Sanctuary. In brief, dinners are generally 8 people (May be slightly more or less to include everyone). 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 Sept 24th 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 way 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.
UUCSJS Book Club
Book Club will be meeting Friday, September 15 at 7:00 pm on ZOOM (www.tinyurl.com/uucsjszoom).
A LITTLE LIFE by Hanya Yanagihara
A Little Life follows its protagonist Jude and his close friends Willem, JB, and Malcolm over many years after they move to New York in search of fame, fortune, success, and meaning.
“…astonishing, challenging, upsetting, and profoundly moving”… “Brace yourself…”
All are welcome to attend!
October selection is THE NICKEL BOYS by Colson Whitehead.
Need Help?
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.
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Jersey Shore
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