Let music help you get into this month's theme with a playlist on Spotify (free to listen) all about imagination. Click the link below.

Welcome to 2021… Well, that escalated quickly

Greetings, gentle people.

At the end of December, I was looking forward to some downtime to rest and recharge before coming back to work. The election was over, the courts had made it clear that any challenges to the count were pointless, and it seemed that we were going to be fine if we just stayed in our own lane until January 20 when a new president would be inaugurated.

And then the new year came in dragging the dumpster fire of 2020 with it. It’s been challenging so far, and I expect it will continue to be challenging for a while yet.

With January’s theme of imagination, I’d like to encourage us all to engage in the creative portion of our brains and imagine what we want the year 2021 to be like. And let’s not imagine in terms of what we’d like to see gone, but in what we’d like to see materialize.

I would like to see our congregation able to meet in person so that people can greet one another and hold hands and hug and laugh and grumble about petty things like all humans do.

I want to see us healthy and beyond the scare of this pandemic.

I want to know that my people are safe, from disease, from political violence, from economic peril.

I want us to engage in challenging ideas and projects. I’d like to see some sort of playground space at our UU Center that provides a place for children to climb and stretch and explore the strengths of their growing bodies.

I want to see us so excited about the UUCSJS that we talk about it with passion and joy; that we invite people to join us, and that we continue to offer a warm-but-not-smothering welcome to visitors of all stripes.

I want to see us hire a passionate, talented new music director so that Barbara Miller can take a well-deserved and long-overdue rest.

I want us to be creative in worship, to get more people involved. I want to hear our choir again.

There are things on this list that we cannot accomplish until we are once more able to meet in person, but there are things here we can do in our current “virtual church” world.

We cannot always change the situation the world throws our way. We can decide how we will respond to it, whether the change is short-term, long-term, or a new permanent reality.

I came back a week sooner than expected, but I am very glad I did. I think we needed to be together this week to process the insurrection and attempted coup. Like I said, no one’s going to wave a magic wand on January 20 and make everything all better. It took us a while to get where we are, and it will take a while to get back out. In the meantime, thinking creatively about what our goals are will help us to focus on the future and engage our brains in joyous ways.

In shared ministry to our congregation and our faith,

Rev. Dawn Fortune

Join Rev. Dawn this week in a moment of imagination as they share a stanza or two from the poem The Hill We Climb by the amazing poet Amanda Gorman.

A playlist of Rev. Dawn's Midweek Meditations can be found HERE. Videos on YouTube include closed captioning.

Rev. Dawn is available for pastoral care appointments Wednesday through Friday 10am to 3pm. Please email minister@uucsjs.org to schedule an appointment.

-Rev. Dawn Fortune

The Dedham Decision: Unitarian/Trinitarian infighting is responsible for the separation of church and state in the United States. A uniquely American dispute created a whole new section of the tax code, and had effects that we still wrestle with today. Join us for a bit of American history on a historical week in America!

Join us 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!

Information on upcoming services can be found HERE.

For those hearing-impaired, pdf copies of Rev. Dawn's sermons are available on our website at the link above. Also, entire services are uploaded to our YouTube channel each Sunday afternoon where Closed Captioning is available.

In case you weren't able to join us last Sunday, here is what you missed.

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

To have your announcement placed in the Midweek Message, please send an email to uucsjsadmin@gmail.com by Noon on Wednesday.

The Board will meet on Zoom this Thursday, January 21, 2021, at 6:30 pm. All are welcome to attend.

Please note this Zoom information is different than the Sunday worship link.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83080329579?pwd=bysrWVd0TysxWEMrQnZSdHB6MS9MQT09

Meeting ID: 830 8032 9579

Passcode: 306591

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,83080329579#,,,,*306591# US (Washington D.C)

+13126266799,,83080329579#,,,,*306591# US (Chicago)

Dial by your location

+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)

+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

+1 929 436 2866 US (New York)

+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

Meeting ID: 830 8032 9579

Passcode: 306591

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcQIYLSLMN

With our services streaming online, we know that mailing a check is not always the most convenient way to give to UUCSJS. Since March, we have experimented with a number of different ways to donate from Paypal to Zelle transfers, to requesting electronic bank checks. We think we have finally found the best, most convenient, and safest way for you to support UUCSJS.

We now have the ability to accept your donations right on our website! Through our online giving form, you can easily give one time, or set up automatic recurring giving. You can access our online giving form HERE or on our website at http://uucsjs.org/online-giving.

You can also use our new text to give option! Just dial (609) 293-4495 on your cell phone and follow the prompts to sign up. Then all you need to do is enter a donation amount, decide if it is a one-time or recurring gift and you are all set.

Our church does pay a small transaction fee to process online payments, but we feel the fee is well worth the convenience. If you choose to, you are able to cover that fee for the church at the same time you give.

We want you to know we greatly appreciate you and your heart of generosity as you continue to support UUCSJS and our mission.

UUCSJS has a new database and church management program and we need your help to make sure we start off right. If you haven't done so already - please update your contact information using the form HERE.

If you have completed the form - THANKS!

Stockton is offering mini courses to the public that you may find interesting and informative. Courses like:

• Protect Our Planet: Problems and Solutions
• Introduction to Visual Literacy
• Music of African Americans
• Think Humanities, Act Creatively: An Environmental Humanities Overview
  
• Optimal Brain Wellness: Current Research and Practical Strategies
  
• Reading Poems: Celebrating Spring and the Natural World
  

Check out this link to learn more.

Again this year we are on board fulfilling a social justice action call to help Eastern Service Workers Association (in Pleasantville) with their annual Tamale fundraiser - making and purchasing tamales!! We did this last year which was a win-win! This year we are invited to make tamales from your own home for COVID no contact reasons. Their aim is to make and sell ($10 donation for half a dozen) 2,000 tamales!

You may help with preparations, as a driver to transport ingredients and/or making deliveries for pre-orders or in preparations to make chicken or vegan tamales in your kitchen during the week of Feb 1 or freeze ahead of time. Let Colby know of your level of interest. The distribution of tamales will be on February 5th and 6th from a Pleasantville location.

ssshh..... we're guessing Rev Dawn's kitchen is going to get really messy!

Text or call Colby Tippins for more information. Or email uucsjsadmin@gmail.com

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

Saturday, January 30, at First Unitarian Portland.

This year’s spiritual theme is entitled, Success, Failure, and Everything In Between.

Our keynote speaker is the Rev. Meg Riley, co-moderator of the UUA, the highest volunteer office of our movement. Rev. Riley spent 37 years as a UU religious professional, including stints as the UUA’s Director of (then) LBG Concerns, Director of the UUA Washington Office, and Head of the Advocacy and Witness Staff Group.

At Seminary for a Day Rev. Riley is eager to share what she has learned and reflect on how our faith’s past weaknesses, successes and failures can help us now in our pursuits of equality and justice. She will explore the topic through the lens of our work in welcoming LGBTQ+ people and the lessons that have come from that work.

Details: Saturday, January 30, 2021

12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

Registration is open until 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 29th. You will receive a Zoom link via email before the event.

https://www.firstunitarianportland.org/events/seminary-for-a-day-all-are-welcome/

ALL ARE WELCOME! So please do share this event with your congregation. If you have any questions or would like any additional descriptions please contact Kerry at kheintze@firstunitarianportland.org.

Friday, March 5, 2021, 7 to 8:30 PM

UU FaithAction NJ’s (UUFANJ) UU Justice Gala 2021 will be our fun annual fundraiser. We started out expecting to hold a gala dinner in Princeton, expanding on the first gala held in Summit. With the pandemic, we have shifted to a virtual event that will be presented via Zoom on Friday, March 5, from 7:00 – 8:30pm. Racial Justice has been chosen as the theme to highlight the overarching goal of the dismantling racism work across all our Task Forces.

The gala is a great chance to celebrate what we have accomplished through Faith Action and where we are going. You will be hearing about the work of UUFANJ from Task Force Leaders, and the new UUFANJ Youth Caucus will have a segment.

We will be honoring Rev. Craig Hirshberg and Ms. Kim Gaddy at the gala. Rev. Hirshberg is our early Executive Director who led us in establishing UUFaithActionNJ (then called the UU Legislative Ministry of New Jersey). Ms. Gaddy is a coalition partner and longstanding activist with Clean Water Action, the Department of Environmental Protection, and her hometown of Newark.

The gala will also have music, a breakout activity to get people moving, and bidding via the UUFANJ website before the event for Task Force themed gift and food baskets, delivered to the winners’ doorsteps. There will be a drawing for a door prize from among event attendees.

Money to run UUFANJ comes from congregations, from grants, and a significant portion from individuals. There will be a sliding scale registration fee for the gala - youth and friends of UUFANJ are warmly invited too! Please save the date and look for details and the registration link by the end of January at https://www.uufaithaction.org/.

Participating in the gala is a great opportunity to support UUFANJ and its important social justice work, as well as join together for an evening of fun and friendship. We look forward to seeing you at the UU Justice Gala 2021!

In faith,

Elaine Nigam and Lynne Quinto, Co-Chairs

UU Justice Gala 2021 Planning Committee

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