UUCSJS Midweek Message

• Minister's Midweek Meditation
• Explore Our Monthly Theme
• Notes from the Board
• Announcements
• This Sunday
• Last Sunday
• Events This Week
• Connect to Our Faith

Greetings, friends, and spiritual companions!

Technology Upgrades

I am delighted to report that the Board voted to approve a plan to upgrade our audio and video capacity in the sanctuary and for the technology to have much better quality live streaming of our worship services. The project will give us two large TV monitors at the front corners of the room that we can use to display hymn lyrics as well as pictures and images to illustrate different parts of the service. There will be two low-profile cameras mounted at the back of the room that will allow us to share video of worship and other events without having to rely on anyone’s cell phone. The microphones and speakers will all be upgraded, and the large black speakers on either side of the room will no longer be necessary.

I am particularly proud of the way we have found to support those who are hard of hearing in being able to hear what’s happening. We will be getting a small FM transmitter (so small it does not require an FCC license) and a number of cordless FM receiver headphones that are lightweight, simple to use, and will fit over the ears comfortably, even when the person is wearing hearing aids. An added bonus of this system is that people will be able to tune in while in their cars (in the parking lot) in the event that they need to leave the building during the service. We won’t be able to broadcast more than a mile, but we will be able to cover the parking lot and part of the neighborhood.

Michael Cluff will be our leader in figuring out the technology and he will be training the volunteers who want to work with the system on Sunday mornings. It will be a little more complex than it has been before now, but my hope is that we will be able to distill the process down to a user-friendly set-up so lots of people can do that job.

Fred Safonof has volunteered to hook up the necessary wires and connections for this system, and I am looking forward to helping him out in whatever way I can.

I am excited to put this project to work. I know that it won’t happen all at once, and you’re likely to see bits and pieces appear as they are installed. I ask you patience as this thing comes together. As with any complex project, it may look ugly before it looks good, so please bear with us as we make it happen.

On Halloween

This will be our first Halloween together in a long while. All Hallows Eve is said to be the time when the veil between the livening and the dead is the thinnest. It is a time to visit once more with those who have died in the past year before saying a final farewell and allowing them to complete their journey into the realm of the dead. Grief in the past 18 months has been an abbreviated, stilted process. Unable to gather to share our sorrow, we have been forced to grieve without our community close at hand. This Sunday’s service will allow us to return to the tradition of shared grieving space.

Don’t Forget!! For our All Hallows Eve service this week, bring photographs or mementos of lost loved ones to share on our chalice table during worship!!

Charlie Roberts’ Memorial Service

Two services will be held to honor the life and passing of longtime UUCSJS member Charlie Roberts. Charlie’s children will host a private, limited attendance memorial at our UU Center on November 6. While that service will be livestreamed, seating will be very limited, so we will be holding a special UUCSJS specific Memorial Service on Sunday, November 7 at 12 noon.

The service on Saturday will require that people make online reservations to attend and we are aware that if all the UUCSJS people who would like to attend did so, there would be no room for any of Charlie’s friends from his other communities.

After consulting with Board President Kit Marlowe, we are asking UUCSJS members to refrain from attending the Saturday service to permit Charlie’s children to host an event with space for representatives from the many diverse circles in which Charlie traveled.

Charlie’s relationship with the UUCSJS was long, and rich, and is deserving of recognition and celebration. Charlie was involved in so many aspects of congregational life that he touched nearly every person in some way. We will have the opportunity to celebrate that relationship on Sunday, November 7 at NOON in our sanctuary.

Rev. Dawn

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

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

No one doubts that racism divides us. It is the great and terrible opposite of cultivating relationship. But are we sure we’re clear about the exact cost of that division? Most often we assume that racism divides us into winners and losers. But could it be possible that in the end we all lose? This is what Heather Mcghee argues in her essential new book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone And How We Can Prosper Together.

To honor its important and needed perspective, make reading it your spiritual exercise to end the month. If you are challenged for time, you might instead engage one of the video/audio options below.

But don’t stop there. Don’t just read or listen to the above pieces. Instead work to identify the single sentence or paragraph in one of them that grabs you most, that seems to be trying to speak to you personally, that seems to carry a message or a call specifically for you, something that is challenging you to think or act differently.

RE Director Completes Course

The Board of Trustees celebrates the UUA’s recognition of Jessica Dunn-Safonof for completing a 75-hour program of Religious Education Leadership Training through their Renaissance Program. We are grateful for Jessica’s ongoing leadership and contributions as RE Director.

What is the Board Doing?

Any member who wants to know what the Board is doing in your name is quite welcome to find out. Any member who wants to may attend the Board meetings we hold on the second Thursday of every month. Just click on the UUCSJS Zoom link at 6:30 PM. Our Secretary, Betsy Erbaugh, often posts the minutes of our meeting within a week. You can view them on our member webpage.

Audio / Visual / Internet Improvements

The Board approved the use of most of the remaining funds from our Wake Now Our Vision legacy campaign in 2018 to purchase and install audio / visual and Internet improvements in the sanctuary. The improvements include:

• A completely new sound system from new microphones through new mixers and controllers to new speakers.
• Broadcast-quality sound delivered to individual headsets for the hearing-impaired.
• High-definition video capture of events in the sanctuary for live-streaming on the Internet or for recording.
• High-speed, and high-definition live-streaming of our services to the Internet for outreach.
• Two 85-inch video monitors to allow us to share visual content, like prayers, hymns, and images in the sanctuary.

The Rev. Dawn Fortune worked diligently to create a design that fit our budget. This plan may not be a miracle, but it’s close.

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.

Our goal is to keep everyone safe in our worship spaces as we continue to navigate the twists and turns of the COVID 19 pandemic. COVID cases are still high in South Jersey, but the rate of infections is going down, and vaccination rates are high so that is encouraging.

Below are some gentle reminders for all UU staff/members/friends/visitors:

• Sign a health and safety pledge prior to attending each Sunday AM worship or other in person events at the UU Center
• Wear a mask and practice social distancing for all congregants both inside and outside the UU facility
• Singing (with masks on) inside the worship space is allowed per UUMN and National Choral Directors guidelines
• Use the East facing (back deck) doors to exit the sanctuary. Those with handicapped needs may still use the West (front portico) doors to exit.
• Coffee service is still on hold for now…

Read the full Guidelines from the Pandemic Response Team HERE.

Thank you to all who participated in the Boscov’s Friends Helping Friends fundraising event. We raised $220 for the congregation!

The Margaret Circle will meet on Thursday, Nov 4, at 1:00 pm. Sue Parks and Julie Spradlin are running the program. They request that everyone bring a picture of themselves when they were a baby or a small child. We will try to guess who everyone is and then share a significant event or people who shaped or lives from early times, or perhaps our earliest memory. All women of the congregation are welcome.

We will be meeting November 19th at 7:00 pm on ZOOM (www.tinyurl.com/uucsjszoom)

All are welcome to join the meeting!

Betsy Searight will be leading the group. Questions: morellb@msn.com

November's Book Selection:

Beloved by Toni Morrison

A 1987 novel set after the American Civil War explores the physical, emotional, and spiritual devastation wrought by slavery, a devastation that continues to haunt those characters who are former slaves.

December's Book selection is AND THEN THERE WERE NONE by Agatha Christie.

Worship associates are needed for the fall calendar. Sheila Stoner is calling people to enlist their help. When she calls, please say yes!

Rev. Dawn Fortune

Tis all Hallows Eve, a time for dress up and pretend, a time to safely imagine scary things having to do with death and what may or may not come afterwards. Bring a photograph or memento of a loved one you have lost in the past two years so that we may bid them farewell from this realm while the veil between the living and dead is at its thinnest. There will be a Halloween Party for the children during worship.

This service will be held inside the sanctuary at UUCSJS (masking and social distancing required). The service will also be livestreamed on our Facebook page.

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

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.

Join us in building community and cultivating relationships as we work together to create the first ever UUCSJS All-Together Quilt!

Sewing Circle! Come chat, learn, and sew this Saturday, October 30th 12-2 pm. RSVP by emailing religiouseducation@uucsjs.org.

Help us make the UUCSJS all-together quilt a reality!

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.

One of the most vulnerable populations among youth today are LGBTQ teens. This is especially true when lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) teens are not supported by their family. When families divide over a teen’s sexual orientation or when a teen is ostracized for being gay, they have a hard time with suicide, self-harm, substance use, and mental illness.

It is important for children and youth to see their reality reflected to them through the literature that is available and used in classrooms.

You can help make that a reality here in South Jersey. UUCSJS is sponsoring a Rainbow Library in South Jersey! GLSEN's Rainbow Library is a program that sends LGBTQ+ affirming K-12 text sets to schools for free!

Our goal is to raise $1,500! Visit our donation page at http://uucsjs.org/online-giving/ to get this campaign started! Keep an eye out here for more information and updates!

Contact Betsy Erbaugh or email admin@uucsjs.org for more information.

Murray Grove Retreat and Renewal Center

Women's Retreat

November 5-7, 2021

Healing from a Traumatic Time: Rest - Recognize - Renew. This annual women’s retreat brings women from far and wide to explore common issues, build community and have fun.

Visit murraygrove.org for more information.

Sunday Services 10 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
Phone: (609) 965-9400
Facebook: facebook.com/uucsjs
Twitter: @UUCSJS