page background

UUCSJS Midweek Message

June 28, 2023

UUCSJS Midweek Message June 28, 2023

Having trouble reading your midweek announcements?

Click on the "view in your browser" link at the top of this email. Then find the black and white "person icon" in the bottom right corner of your screen. When you click this icon you can choose to increase the font size or select high contrast mode.


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

Contents

  • Upcoming Sunday Services
  • Announcements
  • Events This Week
  • Connect with our Monthly Theme
  • Connect to Our Larger Faith
  • Caring Team

Sunday Service now begins at 10:30am!

zoom_out_map

This Sunday

The Experiences of Sergeant Leon Bass During World War II in Nazi-Occupied Europe

Presented by Guest Speaker Irvin Moreno Rodriguez



PLEASE NOTE: There will be NO CHILDREN'S RE during this service.


The presentation will focus on the life story of Dr. Leon Bass. Dr. Leon Bass joined the U.S. Army during World War II and was a liberator of the Buchenwald concentration camp. As an 18 year old African American soldier, he encountered the brutal realities of racism in the United States Armed Forces. Decades later, Dr. Bass used his experiences to teach high school students about the consequences of racism.


BIO: Irvin Moreno-Rodriguez is Assistant Director of the Sara & Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center. He graduated Stockton University’s Honors Program with a BA in Criminal Justice and a Minor in Holocaust & Genocide Studies. After working in the Criminal Justice field, he returned to Stockton for a position in the Holocaust Resource Center. While employed in the Center, in 2022, he earned a Master of Arts in Holocaust & Genocide Studies. Irvin Moreno Rodriguez was appointed by Governor Murphy to be a member of the NJ Commission on Holocaust Education. He is the youngest individual to be appointed to the NJ Commission on Holocaust Education since its inception.


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.

Sunday Services at UUCSJS
Click HERE to view schedule online
zoom_out_map

July 9th: The Gift of our Longings

Presented by Ivette Guillermo- McGahee

Our longings make us feel needy and vulnerable. Surprisingly, though, they contain seeds of transformation and can be an entry door to the sacred.


During this service you’ll be invited to get in touch with the vulnerability of your yearnings, cravings, desires, and perhaps your grief. For what purpose? To discover in the restlessness of your heart, what matters most, what you love, and what brings you joy. Let your longings draw you forth so that you may live in soul-rooted belonging and service to the world.

zoom_out_map

July 16th: Critical Race Theory

Presented by Dr. Linda Nelson

Critical Race Theory is both a concept and a distinct political and intellectual concept and pursuit. As the former, we can find its roots and impetus in the works of legal scholar Derrick Bell, as well as those of feminist cultural critics Kimberle Crenshaw and Patricia Hill Collins. However, one might begin with scholars, such as W.E.B. DuBois, who wrote about the intersections of art and propaganda at the turn of the 20th century. The theoretical underpinnings of critical race theory are drawn broadly from scholarship across disciplines that focuses on the importance of our understanding the complexity of population heterogeneity and what that suggests for educational policies, political mandates and other authorizations. CRT was initially regarded as an outgrowth of the issues and initiatives associated with radical feminism and critical legal studies. As noted by Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, critical race theory has its foundation in the works of philosophers and theorists that share a radical disposition toward difference in human populations.

zoom_out_map

July 23rd: Poetry and Spirituality

Presented by Elinor Mattern

“Words that enlighten the soul are more precious than jewels.” Hazrat Inayat Khan


In this interactive dialogue with poet Elinor Mattern, we will discuss ways in which the ineffable “jewels” of poems and prayers, prayers and poems, can awaken the the soul and the heart, and bring comfort, solace, peace, joy, connection, faith, and hope.

Announcements

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

From the Kitchen

Looking for a gently used pedestal fan for the kitchen. Something in the size of 16 inches will be good.

Thanks,

Kitchen Crew

The Greenlight Coffeehouse is making a comeback!

The Coffeehouse was a monthly event on Friday evenings at the UU center, where people from the congregation and the larger community performed music, read poetry, did a comedy skit, and provided other forms of entertainment in a relaxed, low key atmosphere. Coffee, tea and lights snacks were provided. We will need volunteers to make this happen, for the planning stages and once a month on Friday evenings to set up and take down, e.g., arranging tables, preparing coffee, etc. Please come to a brief meeting after services on July 16 if you are interested in being part of this. Thank you!

zoom_out_map

24th Little Gardens Club Garden Tour

It’s here again. The 24th Little Gardens Club Tour will once again take place. Date is July 9, between 9 AM and 3 PM, rain or shine. Tickets are available at Bob‘s, Lang’s, and Joe’s Garden Centers. You can also purchase tickets from Janet Longo. Tickets will be available the day of the event at the Linwood Arboretum. Last year proceeds benefited the South Jersey Native Plant Society, Linwood Arboretum, Ocean Heights Presbyterian Church Community Garden, Pinelands Preservation Alliance, Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association, and Reeds Road Farm. Come out and enjoy.

Far too many people experience hunger in our wealthy nation—including 12 million food-insecure children. Climate change threatens to increase these numbers–as global temperatures and extreme weather events rise, the conditions make it more difficult for farmers to grow food and for those facing hunger to get it. Our current agricultural system contributes to these joint crises—prioritizing corporations’ profits over people and our planet.


The 2023 Farm Bill is a critical opportunity to improve food security and nutrition for people and promote climate resilience in the U.S. and across the world.

These include:

  • Expand access to SNAP and other nutrition assistance programs;
  • Fund small-scale farmers, regenerative agriculture, and climate-friendly practices, from planting to packaging to delivery;
  • Eliminate food waste and invest in urban agricultural projects; and,
  • Protect the dignity, health, and safety of those working the land.


Sign the petition to Congress: Address hunger, food access, and climate resilience in the 2023 Farm Bill at https://bit.ly/FarmBill-Petition

zoom_out_map

Grocery Gift Cards

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.

Events This Week

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.

View Congregational Calendar Here
CLICK HERE to view all congregational events

Connect to Our Monthly Theme

Is life's happiness curve really U-shaped?

Ageing doesn’t mean a steady descent into misery – evidence suggests that happiness is likely to increase as we head towards old age, but is it that simple?


“I hope I die before I get old,” wrote Pete Townsend of the Who in 1965, neatly encapsulating our culture’s veneration of youth – and disdain for those benighted souls who no longer possess it.



The 20-year-old Townsend was, of course, to be disappointed: last month he turned [78]. But over the decades he may have revised his views on the grimness of growing old. Because the ageing process isn’t necessarily a steady descent into misery; on the contrary, the evidence suggests that happiness is likely to increase as we head towards old age.


This isn’t to say that the idea of the mid-life crisis has had its day. In general, people seem to begin their lives with a high degree of contentment. READ MORE...

Connect to Our Larger Faith

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.

Opportunities for Connection - New for June!

♥️ Caring Team ♥️

zoom_out_map

Need Help?

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:




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.

zoom_out_map

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Jersey Shore

Sunday Services 10:30 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

Jessica Dunn Safonof
Jessica is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters