UUCSJS Midweek Message

This week we are starting something new! Each week our minister, Rev. Dawn Fortune, will provide a reading on this month's theme for you to consider. We are calling it the Minister's Midweek Meditation. It is your opportunity to continue Sunday's worship theme throughout the week.

So watch the video below, and spend some time thinking about this month's theme of renewal.

-Rev. Dawn Fortune

Each year, congregations around the US participate in the annual ritual of Ingathering by combining bottles and vials of water brought from home or far away, to be blessed and used in our rituals throughout the year. Unable to pour water together in person, we will participate in this ritual of ingathering in our virtual realm, reminding us of the connections that bind us to one another, in good times and bad. Join us to renew our covenant with each other for the coming year.

Information on upcoming services can be found HERE.

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 Book Club pick for September: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.

The Bluest Eye, published in 1970, is the first novel by author Toni Morrison. The novel takes place in Lorain, Ohio (Morrison’s hometown), and tells the story of a young African-American girl named Pecola who grows up during the Great Depression. The story tells that due to her mannerisms and dark skin, she is consistently regarded as “ugly”. As a result, she develops an inferiority complex which fuels her desire for the blue eyes which she equates with “whiteness”.

We will be meeting Friday, September 18th at 4:00 pm under the Port Republic Pavilion, please bring your own chair and mask as usual. Send an email to Barbara Morell if you would like to share information with others and it will be read at the meeting.

Next month will start ZOOM meetings most likely.

The Book Club pick for October is Blindness by Jose Saramago. For questions or to request more information contact Barbara Morell or email uucsjsadmin@gmail.com.

This I Believe: Exploring and Claiming Your Own Theology

October 14, 21, 28, and November 4

For as long as humans have existed, we have wondered about the origins of the earth and the heavens, sought to define ourselves, and looked for life’s deep meanings and purpose. As Unitarian Universalists, our beliefs and philosophies are beautifully diverse, if often something of an unstructured gobbledygook. Ask ten UUs about their theology, you’re likely to get a dozen different answers. In this class, we will examine our own early lessons about the world and our place in it, and define (as we are able) what it is we know to be true about humanity, the natural world, and our place in it.

Because the sessions build on one another, it is recommended that participants commit to attending all four sessions.

→ Register for This I Believe: Exploring and Claiming Your Own Theology HERE or email uucsjsadmin@gmail.com.

Small Group Ministry is a mainstay of congregations that are diverse, whether in demographics, geography, or both. In this time of forced separation, small group ministry is a great way to connect with each other and to have conversations around scheduled topics that correspond to our monthly worship themes. Groups meet monthly, and with the blessing of ZOOM technology, they can meet at any time that works for all of the participants. If you are interested in participating in or leading a small group, please reach out to Rev. Dawn via email: minister@uucsjs.org Group leaders will be trained by the folks at Soul Matters, which will also supply any reading or discussion materials the groups will need. The groups will begin meeting in mid-September.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, the Small Group Ministry program will not be offered this fall due to an insufficient number of participants and leaders. We understand that people are busy, and that time commitments are challenging, so we will strive to find other programming that better meets the needs of UUCSJS members

Stasa Morgan-Appel, one of the creators of the ritual, invites us to participate in the first virtual WSSR. She is planning sessions to teach the songs, if you do not know the music. The ritual will take place on December 19, 7-9 UK time. At least three congregants have already signed up.

→ On-line singing starting in September! Sign up here: https://forms.gle/ds2yV9eLfkLFa2ot7

For more information, join the Facebook group, Winter Solstice Singing Ritual. If not on Facebook, try this link WSSR.

Sunday Services 10 am on Zoom at tinyurl.com/uucsjszoom

Email: uucsjsadmin@gmail.com
Website: www.uucsjs.org
Location: 27 S Pomona Rd, Egg Harbor City, NJ, USA
Phone: (609) 965-9400
Facebook: facebook.com/uucsjs