UUCSJS Midweek Message

• Minister's Midweek Meditation
• Notes From the Board
• Announcements
• This Sunday
• Last Sunday
• Events This Week
• Connect to Our Faith

Rev. Dawn is back in the office this week and will be back in the pulpit on August 1, 2021. Rev. Dawn is available for pastoral care appointments Wednesday through Friday 10 am to 3 pm. Please email minister@uucsjs.org to schedule an appointment.

Join Rev. Dawn this week as they share a meditation from Spilling the Light written by Theresa Inez Soto.

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
• Denise O'Meara at (610) 316-7495 email: denome53@gmail.com
• Helen Utts at (609) 338-3391 email: HelenUtts@aol.com
• MaryLou DeMaria-Berhang at (201) 247-5635 email: MLberhang@gmail.com
• Tony Zitelli at (201) 463-2800 email: happy85a@aol.com

Rainbow Flag

Board member, Marty Quish, spoke to every police department within five miles of the UU center about people removing the rainbow flag that flies on the UUCSJS sign on Pomona Road. That flag, I think, has hung undisturbed for ten weeks. That’s an improvement.

It’s possible that the two young men who have been removing flags graduated school and left town, but I prefer this explanation: Someone Marty reached recognized one or both perpetrators but wanted to protect them. That someone warned the young man to “Stop it or else.” What do you know? No more vandalism.

Kudos to Marty.

Music Director

This morning, Barbara Miller told me that our new music director wants us to call her Gina Roche’. Names are important. I am glad that I will get this one right.

Stop Voter Suppression

The recent General Assembly of the UUA voted to support an Action of Immediate Witness called Stop Voter Suppression and Partner for Voting Rights and a Multiracial Democracy.

This resolution called on the UUA and its congregations to work in partnership toward meaningful action and understanding on democracy matters -- eliminating voter suppression, restoring the right to vote to formerly incarcerated returning citizens, ensuring fair districts, protecting the right of protest, demanding transparency with respect to money in politics, supporting D.C. statehood, and more.

The UUs for Social Justice asks us to join them at a Zoom forum at 7 PM this Thursday, July 22nd, to learn more about what UUs can do to advance the "Trio of Democracy" bills that combat the onslaught of voter suppression tactics being advanced by various state legislatures. Click on this link to register.

Stay Healthy,

Kit Marlowe

Board President

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

Planning a special event? The Communications Team can help. Visit https://uucsjs.breezechms.com/form/42685e for more information.

Please note there will NOT be a Midweek Message next week as our Office Administrator will be on vacation.

Guest Musicians - Grace Notes Singers

Grace Notes Singers will share their song repertoire and invite us to sing along. The group will explain what they do as part of the Grace HealthCare Systems hospice program. The service will also include meditative readings and some silent time together.

The Grace Notes Singers include our own Barbara Miller, Cynthia Grzywinski, Melissa Hutchison, as well as other local singers.

This service will take place outside at UUCSJS. The service will also be live-streamed on our Facebook page. Please see below for procedures for attending.

The Membership Committee is extending a special invitation for the folks who have joined us for Zoom services and who have not attended services at our building previously. There are 10 such people who have given us their contact information, and we are hoping to see a few of them on Sunday. They will be introduced to the congregation and will wear special name tags, so you will know who to give your special greeting to.

We are excited to have everyone gather for our first outdoor service at UUCSJS this coming

Sunday!

Here are a few tips to help you to prepare for the service and to help keep everyone safe:

What to bring:

• Please bring your own lawn chair and/or blanket to sit on Extra seating will be available for anyone who forgets this step!
• Protect yourself from the sun: bring sunglasses, hats, sunscreen
• Hydrate! Bring your own water bottle. Additional beverages will be available on site

Check-In:

• Please check-in at the welcome table
• Scan the QR code at check-in (or click this link at home) and fill out your health pledge
• Get a name tag, and use the following stickers to “signal” your comfort level with personal space: GREEN dot = Hugs, close personal contact welcomed

1. YELLOW dot = Please ask what my comfort level is
2. RED dot = Please keep 6 feet of distance for conversation
3. BLUE dot = I have had a COViD vaccine

During the service:

• Seating will be on the Northside of the UU Center, and the singers will be on the East deck.
• There will be a few covered areas available for people who need to sit in the shade
• There will be no Order of Service, and some of our “usual” service elements will be left out. We know you will enjoy the music and the chance to reconnect

Regarding Masks

Masks are not required for outside gatherings but are always encouraged for anyone

who prefers to wear one (for whatever reason). Keep in mind that most of the RE children will not be vaccinated, so we want to be considerate of their health and safety.

If you need to use the restroom…

• Please use the front (West facing) doors to enter the UU Center
• Please wear a mask in the vestibule, and allow 6 feet between persons waiting to use the restroom
• If it looks congested, please wait for the next person to exit
• Please do not enter the sanctuary, as the floors are being prepared for coating

After the Service:

• Please stick around for a modified coffee hour
• There will be additional drinks and possibly light snacks to enjoy (or bring your own)
• Take some time to greet new visitors and to catch up with old friends!

In case of Rain :(

• We will be watching the weather closely! If there is a possibility of heavy shows/thunder/ lightning, the outdoor service itself will be canceled, and the singers will be filmed for a zoom service. We will work out a way to notify members and friends of any change
• For anyone unable to come to the service, we will be streaming it on Facebook live

If you have questions or concerns please reach out to Melissa Hutchison or contact the office at admin@uucsjs.org or 609-965-9400.

Join us on August 1, 2021, when Rev. Dawn Fortune returns to the pulpit to reflect on "When Reason is Impossible and Hope is Hard to Find: A Personal Encounter With Depression."

And on August 8, 2021, for "All our Gifts," a coffeehouse-style service showcasing the many talents of UUCSJS. (Contact Barbara Miller if you would like to participate.)

Information on upcoming services can be found HERE.

If you were unable to join us, you can watch the video of last week's service.

Click on the graphic below or visit the calendar at uucsjs.org/calendar 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 opportunities to connect with our larger faith and other UU's from outside our congregation.

Click on the images for more information.

UU Faith Action recognizes the importance of five crucial social action causes.

They are

• criminal justice,
• environmental justice,
• gun violence prevention,
• immigration justice and
• reproductive justice.

All are actually state-level committees. The interesting thing is, in the age of Zoom, we can be on any of these task forces. All you have to do is figure out which one appeals to you the most, go to UUfaithaction.org, learn the name of a chair or co-chair of the task force which interests you, and then email the chair or co-chair about your desire to be on the task force. It is as simple as that. It’s an opportunity to learn, form alliances with other groups, and bring back information to us. They meet once a month. I have met several task force members. For example, they lobby, write regulations, and attend vigils such as the one held at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women. Evidently, political pressure does work. I read governor Murphy has shuttered the facility. So with effort, change is possible.

Let me know if you’re interested. Contact Janet Longo or email admin@uucsjs.org 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