UUCSJS Midweek Message

In our final week of asking "What does it mean to be a people of healing?" Rev. Dawn shares a reading by Starhawk from "Dreaming the Dark: Magic, Sex, and Politics."

If you missed a week or just want to watch a video again, a playlist of Rev. Dawn's Midweek Meditations can be found HERE. Videos on YouTube include closed captioning.

Take some time this week to catch your breath and think about what healing you may need.

Rev. Dawn is on study leave this week but will return for pastoral care appointments Wednesday, December 2, 2020.

-Lay Leader Paul Utts

It seems inconceivable that as reprehensible as our current President's behavior is and has been, that 72 million people in our country would continue to vote for him. 10 million more than 2016. What are they thinking? A minister once told me when looking for congregational approval that they wanted better than 90% support, "because it's difficult to get things done when 10% of the congregation is rowing against you." Yet here we are with almost 50% of voters, many of them hard-working, moral people, pulling in the other direction. If we want to see true social justice, we need most of that half of the country with us. Paul will discuss his experience with some of those voters and ask if maybe our faith's "blaming and shaming" is causing more harm than good. He thinks he will probably anger some of you and so asks...Forgive me.

Join us Sunday at 10 am at www.tinyurl.com/uucsjszoom or call in to (929)436-2866 then enter: 2246776604#, 0#, 306591#.

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.

There was so much buzz about all the wonderful books shared in the service last Sunday! If you can't quite remember which book it was you wanted to add to your "To Be Read" pile, here is the list of books the Book Lovers recommended on Sunday:

• Breathe: A Letter to My Sons by Imani Perry
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
• Deacon King Kong by James McBride
• Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver
• The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

And below is the wonderful video of "Grateful" featuring all your fantastic photos of the many things we are grateful for!

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

As most of you are aware by now, we are not going to be able to hold our annual service auction. As this fundraiser provides a large portion of our operating budget, our Board President, Kit Marlowe, and our Board Treasurer, John Brilla, have sent out a letter requesting members and friends to make a special contribution to the auction fund. You can read this letter to the congregation HERE. There are a few additional ways you can support our fundraising campaign. Read more about these holiday opportunities below.

You are encouraged to make a donation in the amount of money you would have budgeted out to spend at the auction. You can send a check to our P.O. Box or make a donation online with "auction" noted on your check or in the notes section.

PO Box 853

Pomona NJ, 08240

DONATE ONLINE

If you provided a good or service last year and are willing to do so again this year (safely of course) please reach out to those who "bought" your listing last year and see if they would like to "purchase" your good or service again this year!

Colores de Pueblo is offering 10% back to UU congregations on all sales through their website now through January 1, 2021. This is a fantastic way to support Guatemalan weavers and artisans, get some holiday shopping done, and support UUCSJS! All you need to do is shop at ColoresdePueblo.com and enter "Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Jersey Shore" in the comments section during checkout.

New stock is being added daily, so check back (and shop) often!

Are you a sender of Christmas or Holiday cards? Want to send some with a bit of UU flair? Children's Religious Education has Chalice Holiday cards!

For a $20 donation, you will receive a 10 pack of Chalice Holiday cards with various chalices drawn, colored, and designed by the children and youth of UUCSJS. Donations can be made by check or online with "chalice cards" written in the comments section.

PO Box 853

Pomona NJ, 08240

DONATE ONLINE

You must complete this form to receive your holiday cards! Contact uucsjsdre@gmail.com with any questions.

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

During this time of isolation, what can we do to create a sense of community and celebration around the holidays? This is a time when we normally offer several holiday-related services, be they Advent, Hannukah, Winter Solstice, Christmas Eve, or our always fun Sunday morning pick-up pageant.

Rev. Dawn, DRE Jess Dunn Safonof, and Music Director Barbara Miller are proposing a series of videos, one released each day of December, that will culminate on Christmas Eve as a full-length YouTube playlist with carols, stories, and messages from our members.

We ask that you submit a video of 60-90 seconds answering ONE of these prompts:

• Tell us about a favorite holiday tradition, song, or food
• Show us a piece of holiday-themed artwork you have made
• Show us your Christmas tree and talk about an ornament that you love
• Take us outside your house for a tour of your decorations
• Tell us what you will be doing during this holiday season.

Please submit the videos to uucsjsdre@gmail.com by December 1, 2020.

Oh yes, be sure to introduce yourselves!

Margaret Circle will meet on Thursday, December 3, 1:00 pm on Zoom.

The topic will be storytelling. All are invited to tell a story -or two – of something that occurred at one of the many winter holiday celebrations that you have lived through. It can be funny, heroic, poignant, enlightening, or sad. We know it will be interesting because it is about you.

Traditionally the Margaret Circle has celebrated our December meeting with a luncheon. Because of our need to meet by zoom, in lieu of a luncheon we have arranged to have a cookie exchange. Some members have volunteered to make a batch of cookies or a delectable something. All members will receive a package of these goodies by elf delivery.

Contact Betsy Searight or uucsjsadmin@gmail.com with questions or 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