UUCSJS Midweek Message

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

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

Rituals of Love

Presented by Dana Moore

We call on the spirit of Love to be present in all things, in its many forms our expressions of love can seem warm and inviting, odd and indifferent. Together we'll explore roots and rituals of love that shape our lives today.

BIO: When not nurturing her two beautiful children, Dana Moore is committed to being a social justice warrior through her ministry work with youth and young adults. Dana is a member of the

Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair and Professional Religious Educator at Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit. In her daily work Dana journeys with visionary leaders and business owners helping them to overcome leadership challenges, building strong teams and systems for success. As a second-year seminary student at Starr King School for the Ministry, one of only 2 UU theological schools across the globe, Dana is the recipient of the John

Buehrens and St. Lawrence Scholarships, she delights in studying feminine leadership and world religion.

We often think that love is a natural emotion we'll experience when we come into contact with a wonderful person. In fact, it's an emotional skill we should and must practice in order to approach other humans with the required patience and generosity.

“One of the great intellectual puzzles that daily life forces all of us to consider on a slightly too regular basis is: ‘Why are other people so awful? How come they are so unreliable, aggressive, deceitful, mean, two-faced or cowardly?’ As we search for answers, we tend quite naturally to fall back on a standard, compact and tempting explanation: because they are terrible people. They are appalling, crooked, deformed or ‘bad’; that’s simply how some types are. The conclusion may be grim, but it also feels very true and fundamentally unbudgeable…”

Sunday, January 21, 2024

An elevator speech is a short explanation of an individual’s faith that they could give between floors while talking to a stranger on an elevator in response to the question “Unitarian Universalism? What’s that?” This class will help you feel confident about articulating Unitarian Universalism and empower you to live and speak about our faith in the larger community!

Email Jess at religiouseducation@uucsjs.org to register.

The Vineland Board of Education is repealing a school policy which protects the rights of trans students. At the Board meeting last night, a pastor and several church members spoke to encourage the board to repeal the policy using their faith as a reason. The Board postponed a vote to February’s meeting and we are looking for people in the congregation that would be willing to go to the next Vineland Board Of Education meeting to offer support not to repeal the policy. The date of the next meeting is Wednesday February 7th at 5 pm at the Vineland Public Schools Administration offices at 61 W Landis Ave in Vineland 08360.

Last year several of us did an action at the Ocean City Board of Education in a related matter. This is a chance to show our faith in action. Please contact Janet Longo or myself if you can attend.

Marty Quish

President, UUCSJS Board of Trustees

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

Sign the petition "Calling for Second Look Legislation in New Jersey" which would provide an opportunity for incarcerated senior citizens to demonstrate that they deserve a second chance to live in the community.

Read More and Sign the Petition HERE...

When leaving the building please make sure the doors on both levels to the fire towers are closed. This is an important safety feature should a fire occur it can be contained as much as possible.

Also, please make sure that any lighting that is not needed is turned off. All lighting needed for safety / security are on timers and electric eye. Check to make sure the lights in the downstairs restrooms are off. We are currently paying for all of our electric use due to the solar array being offline.

Thanks,

Building & Grounds Crew

Next Pomona Road Cleanup will be Feb. 4th starting at 9 am and going until 10 am. There will be a sign-up sheet in the back of the sanctuary for all those interested. Grabbers, gloves, and bags will be provided. Any questions, please let me know.

Contact Nancy Watson for more information

SOUPER BOWL SUNDAY

Soup sale will be returning Sunday, February 18th. It is that time of year and we would like to repeat an event we have enjoyed in past years !!!!!!!!

*We need your help*

We need you to make your delicious homemade soup, and using the containers provided by the front entrance, to fill and return by February 18th. Soup can be frozen.

Soup will be for sale before and after service on the 18th. If making soup is not for you, we welcome bread or other baked goods to add to the sale. This has been a fun way to share our culinary skills in the past and hopefully will be again.

Have questions text:

Barb Morell 215 805 7599

As some of you know, I (Theresa) was one of the women to help start the Atlantic County women's shelter, now called Avanzar. We called it the battered women's shelter back in the day. Well, I have a new idea cooking inside of me to help single moms. If you are interested or curious, let me know, I am

compiling a list of women to come to a first meeting so I can share my thoughts and ideas. Our first meeting will be March 4, 2024 7pm at UUCSJS. If you want to be on my list let me know.

Theresa McReynolds

harvest10@hotmail.com

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.

Book Club will be meeting January 19th at 7:00 on ZOOM (www.tinyurl.com/uucsjszoom).

All are welcome to join and our choice this month is:

WEST WITH GIRAFFES by Linda Rutledge

This is the great adventure story of 17-year-old Woodrow Wilson Nickel, who drives two giraffes cross-country in 1938 America, finding himself along the way through the joys and conflicts of the voyage. This novel is a piece of historical fiction and a bildungsroman, in which the historical context of 1938 permeates the narrator’s character development. Told through the first-person narrative point-of-view of the protagonist, Rutledge engages her reader in a story of adventure and an homage to animal rights. Central to this story is the promotion of animals as worthy of human devotion. Inspired by a true story, this novel is about hope, resilience, love, and the importance of memory and storytelling.

February is THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett

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.

Join us for a film screening of Power to Heal, a powerful example of people organizing to change federal policy.

Wednesday, January 31 7:30pmET

2hr event: 1 hr screening with 1hr discussion

Power to Heal tells a poignant chapter in the historic struggle to secure equal and adequate access to healthcare for all Americans. Central to the story is the tale of how a new national program, Medicare, was used to mount a dramatic, coordinated effort that desegregated thousands of hospitals across the country in a matter of months.

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

Denise O'Meara at (610) 316-7495 denome53@gmail.com

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.