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Email admin@uucsjs.org or call Jess at 609-965-9400 if you need assistance

• Upcoming Sunday Services
• Stewardship
• Announcements
• Events This Week
• Connect to the Monthly Theme
• Connect to Our Faith
• Last Sunday
• Caring Team

Vulnerability and Defensiveness

Led by Guest Speaker Michael Cluff

Last time, we discussed how "failure is always an option," and how accepting our mistakes allows us to be fully human. This time, we explore the importance of vulnerability and how defensiveness prevents us from growing.

Bio: Last time, we discussed how "failure is always an option," and how accepting our mistakes allows us to be fully human. This time, we explore the importance of vulnerability and how defensiveness prevents us from growing.

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.

March 5 to April 16, 2023

The programs and services provided by UUCSJS each year are made possible through the generous financial support of our members and friends. Each year we have a season of stewardship to receive advance pledges from members and friends to indicate their anticipated level of financial support. This information assists us in planning our program operating budget in advance. We are currently

planning for the budget year beginning July 1, 2023 and ending June 30, 2024. Our stewardship drive has begun and will run from until April 16th . Our Goal for this year is $135,000 in pledges. We currently have $97,890 in financial commitments from 25 families, or 73% of our goal. You can complete your pledge electronically using this link. Pledge cards and additional information is available on Sunday over the next month. If you have any questions about the stewardship process, you may contact me or other members of the Board or Finance committee. Each and every pledge is important because it is the collective generosity of our community that makes UUCSJS possible!

~ Karen York, Stewardship Chair

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

INFORMATION AND ACTION TO TAKE

Anti Abortion Centers aka “Crisis Pregnancy Centers”:

The NJ Attorney General has put out a consumer alert to raise awareness about the deceptive nature of these organizations.

CONSUMER ALERT Crisis Pregnancy Centers | NJ.gov This is a terrific first step, please share widely!

The Associated Press has revised their style guide to reflect the true nature of these organizations, take a look: https://www.apstylebook.com/topical_most_recent

No matter what you call them, they are anti-abortion, and disseminate inaccurate and misleading information.

Walgreen’s boycott: sign the petition here

https://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/pharmacies_abortion/?t=2&ak_proof=1&akid=52552%2E3045790%2EpiBNOZ

After some calendar wrangling Building and Grounds will sponsor the Spring Blue Jean Sunday on May 7, 2023 to begin right after service. There will be NO Coffee Hour that week!! Folks are encouraged to bring snacks, coffee, etc. in case you missed breakfast. Lunch will be provided afterward. A list of projects will follow soon. B&G will supply the items to get this done. (maybe a "Rosie the Riveter" style pic here. Run this right up to the week before, please.)

Minister's Office:

There has been talk of a minister coming back to UUCSJS!! With that in mind the office is in need of a re-do. Some muscle is sought to help move the large heavy furniture out and to temporary storage space in one of the unused classrooms and also for replacing the items once the office is finished (at a later date, TBA). Jess has advised on which one is available. Contact Richard after service this week. Thanks!!!.

From the Kitchen:

There is a small collection of insulated beverage containers in the kitchen by the hand washing sink. If they may belong to you please be sure to claim them.

And, as always, thanks to all who help with Coffee Hour each week!!

The next Pomona Road Cleanup will be April 2. Meet at UUCSJS at 9am. Work gloves, safety vests, bags, and grabbers will be provided. The cleanup takes approximately 1and 1/2 hours. Any questions see Nancy Watson.

Our second circle dinner of the season is being planned for Saturday, April 22. Signups begin on Sunday, March 19, and will continue through Sunday, April 9.

Circle Dinners are a program where people are assigned to a group of eight, who gather at the home of the person or couple designated as the host. All persons are assigned to bring one of the courses. You may sign up as a couple or as an individual The purpose is to enjoy a good meal in good company, and to get to know each other better. There is more information about these dinners at the signup table. Please come!

UUCSJS will hold a second collection on Sunday, March 26, 2023 to support the Eastern Service Workers Association. The ESWA is an all-volunteer, mutual aid association which provides programs for low income workers in our area including emergency food, clothing, medical and dental care, legal education and information, and advocacy. Your generosity in this second collection is greatly appreciated.

Now is the time to obtain your copy of Defunding Fear by Zach Norris, and possibly start reading. However, the discussion concerning this book will not take place until the third Sunday in June after the service. This is a UU common read. Jess has ordered three copies which can be borrowed. It is an easy short read loaded with facts. For example, a 2019 study in the American Journal of Medicine, found that guns kill more kids than on duty police and active military personnel combined. This book not only includes facts, but recommendations as well. It’s a very worthwhile read.

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.

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.

In an extended interview, acclaimed physician and author Dr. Gabor Maté discusses his new book, just out, called "The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture." "The very values of a society are traumatizing for a lot of people," says Maté, who argues in his book that "psychological trauma, woundedness, underlies much of what we call disease." He says healing requires a reconnection between the mind and the body, which can be achieved through cultivating a sense of community, meaning, belonging and purpose. Maté also discusses how the healthcare system has harmfully promoted the "mechanization of birth," how the lack of social services for parents has led to "a massive abandonment of infants," and how capitalism has fueled addiction and the rise of youth suicide rates.

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