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

• Upcoming Sunday Services
• Announcements
• Notes From the Board
• Events This Week
• Connect to Our Monthly Theme
• Connect to Our Larger Faith
• Caring Team

Wholly Music Service

Presented by UUCSJS Music Director, Gina Roché

Featuring our music director Gina Roche and her wonderful band. Get ready for an all music service, complete with a few singalongs, new compositions and well loved favorites. This “wholly music service” will lift you up, leave you feeling connected, wholly contented and inspired.

BIO: Gina ROCHÉ (vocalist/guitarist/songwriter/uke player/vocal coach/tap dancer and most recently music director for UUCSJS and loving it!) Gina studied voice with opera singer and teacher Frank Capelli in Philadelphia. Gina is known for her exciting live performances and imbues a Brazilian twist into her unique blend of pop, jazz, blues and original compositions. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she has toured with her band, The Gina Roché Group in Grand Cayman, Aruba, Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Philly, the West Coast, UK and Japan and has also performed on Good Morning America and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. An original member of the all-female Latin group “Ellas,” Gina sings in 4 languages; English, Portuguese, Spanish and French....ok she knows a few songs in French! *smile* The most beloved part of Gina's bio is that she married her best friend John Rosenberg 21 years ago. Together they are raising two daughters and continually learning how to "go with the flow."

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.

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

The Margaret Circle will meet on Thursday, June 1, at 1:00pm. The topic this month will be aphorisms, maxims, sayings, whatever name you give to expressions such as “a watched pot never boils.” Everyone is asked to bring in the ones they already know from their lives, and we will see how much of this folk wisdom we collectively carry. The Margaret Circle is open to all women of the congregation.

The Greenlight Coffeehouse is making a comeback! We need people who are willing to make that happen. If you are interested, speak to Katy Cardwell or Deb Dagavarian.

We have been trying to plan an Emergency Evacuation Drill for several months. According to our Emergency Evacuation Action Plan we need twelve volunteers for the Evacuation Team. We now have eight congregants who have agreed to help us. We need four more people to volunteer before we can schedule this drill. Several years ago, we had a committee who wrote an action plan that really is quite concise. Our plan is to conduct a congregation drill at least twice a year. We are hoping to get more than twelve volunteers so we have alternate people that can step in if needed. If you can volunteer, please reach out to Marty Quish or Jessica Dunn Safonof.

UUCSJS will present a concert video of Craig Hella Johnson's choral oratorio, "Considering Matthew Shepard" during Pride Month. This year is the 25th anniversary of Shepard’s death, which captured national attention. This performance by the nation's first LGBTQ+ chorus, The Stonewall Chorale, was filmed on March 25th, 2023. The soaring musical work first premiered in 2016, and was nominated for a Grammy. The presentation will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, Colin Taber, who found himself captivated by this material and inspired to promote awareness of the piece and the work of The Stonewall Chorale. It will be presented on Friday, June 23, 2023 from 7:00-9:00 pm, in the UUCSJS sanctuary.

BIRTHING JUSTICE FILM

This is an 1hr 25m film which is currently available to view on PBS until 6/9/23 and may be available (www.birthingjustice.com) on other streaming sites.

The US is the only industrialized nation in the world where maternal mortality is rising. Black woman are three to five times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white woman and 80% of those deaths are preventable.

This film addresses this national crisis by turning the spotlight on the progress being made by health initiatives and uplifting evidence-based practices to adopt more widely. The film offers solutions that can be implemented in communities across the country.

A limited number of grocery gift cards for Shoprite and Acme are available for purchase on Sunday morning. Proceeds from the sale of these cards benefit UUCSJS operating budget.

Please complete the following form using the link below to indicate your interest in purchasing cards and whether you would be interested in making regular purchases of these cards.

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.

Sunday Service Time Change

We would like to thank everyone who voted in our survey regarding Sunday service time. The 11:00AM start time had a slight advantage over the 10:00AM & 10:30 AM start times. However, majority of votes were not for a 11AM start time.

After giving this much consideration the board agreed to a 10:30AM start time beginning Sunday June 4th. Our thoughts were that a compromise would appeal to a greater number of congregants.

Murray Grove Summer Retreat

Deb Dagavarian suggested to the board that we hold an overnight event at Murray Grove as we have done in the past. Several members of the board were in agreement, and it was suggested that we conduct a survey through Breeze to all congregants about who wants to attend a weekend event at Murray Grove and who would be interested in helping coordinate this event.

Membership

Total membership in the congregation now stands at 85. We are happy to say that we have seen a big increase in the number of new people attending our service and then returning. We are optimistic that some of our new visitors will become members in the future.

Pandemic Safety Task Force

The Pandemic Safety Task Force has disbanded their committee. You may have noticed that the table is no longer in our foyer. We would like to thank Melissa Hutchison and Karen York who chaired this committee and all the people who helped serve on this task force the past three years. Thank you for helping to keep us safe!

Minister Search Update

The Board has decided to remain lay-led for the next year. We fell short in our Stewardship goal and don’t want to place any greater financial burdens on the congregation. We have asked Deb Dagavarian to schedule worship services through the end of August 2024.

In Fellowship,

Marty Quish

President, UUCSJS Board of Trustees

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.

Think you are too old to be creative? Think again!

"The director of the George Washington University School of Medicine argues that the brain of an older person is much more practical than is generally believed. At this age, the interaction of the right and left hemispheres of the brain becomes harmonious, which expands our creative possibilities. This is why among people over 60 you can find many personalities who have just started their creative activities."

READ MORE...

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