First Unitarian Church Weekly Newsletter!

Upcoming Worship Services

Sunday, November 26, 2017, at 10:00am

“Surrendering to the Shadow”

Rev. Dr. Lynn Acquafondata, preaching

Ahlia Kitwana, worship associate

The plate collection will help support our church .

Holiday Worship Schedule for 2017

Gratitudes, Joys and Sorrows

Our Susan B. Anthony Lounge has an upgrade! Now in place are four new loveseats and two arm chairs, made possible by gifts from Karen Evans and her sister Alayne Evans . Members of the Aesthetics Committee, Betty Evans, Kay Jacobstein, Megan Meyer, and Susan Schwardt , searched for and chose the designs and colors for the pieces. The committee members also each made a donation to complete the purchase. These furnishings replace those that had been in the space since our church building opened. The new seating design continues that of the simple Danish pieces that remain. So, have a seat in the Susan B. Anthony Lounge, you won’t want to leave! A heartfelt thanks to all who made this possible!

First Unitarian sends its condolences to the family of Rev. Robert N. West , Senior Minister here at our church from 1963 to 1969 who died this past September; he was 88 years old. Cards can be sent to the family through the Church Office – please mark them “attention Laurie.”

If you have a concern about a member of our congregation, please don't hesitate to contact Rev. Tina at 585-271-9070 x104

"I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual. It is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite - only a sense of existence."

-Henry David Thoreau

Happening This Week

( click on the red links for additional information!)

The annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service is at our church this year on Thursday, November 23, 10:00am. Please join our Muslim, Jewish, Catholic and Protestant siblings for a joyful celebration of gratitude. Rev. Dr. Marlowe Washington will offer the sermon, and our First Unitarian Choir will be singing. This is not to be missed. In case you didn’t know, this is a tradition that originated with our congregation, Temple B’rith Kodesh and First Universalist in 1874. If needed, overflow parking will be available at Temple Beth El across the street from our church.

Come, come whoever you are and celebrate Thanksgiving together! Surrender your holiday stress and join in a Holiday Thanksgiving Meal for all ages at our church this Thursday, November 23, 1:00pm . Bring your favorite potluck side dish to share, and RSVP to Fritz Lange . We always have more than enough desserts, so bring beverages, veggies or other side dishes. No need to cook, pick something up. Please bring your own table service.

Bookstore Open This Sunday : There is only one service this Sunday, November 26, 10:00am . For our book shopping convenience, the bookstore will be open after the service. There is both fiction and non-fiction in a variety of genres. As always, there are new titles and, especially convenient for this time of year, there is a nice selection of children's books. So stop by after the service, chat with the volunteers and other congregants, and pick up that book you know you want but just haven't yet got around to buying. Cash and checks are gladly accepted.

Now showing in the Williams Gallery: “The Sweet, Simple Things” - works by artist and church member Laura Wilder . Laura’s work has won many awards and prestigious commissions, and is on exhibit at more than a dozen shows per year, in many galleries and shops nationwide. Thematically, her art explores what her distant cousin, Laura Ingalls Wilder, called “the sweet, simple things of life,” especially the beautiful light effects in nature. Laura is especially happy to be exhibiting at our church, which has been her spiritual home since 1964.

Calls to Action

Interim Conversation : Rev. Joel invites all interested members and friends to an Interim Conversation on December 10, 12:30pm , just after the second Sunday service. This conversation will be on the search process for our church's next senior minister, beginning with the current process of selecting the search committee. Rita Capezzi, the Intern Minister at the UU Church of Canandaigua, is a previous member of a search committee, and she will speak about her experience on the committee and about the search process from a congregant's perspective. All are welcome to attend!

Donations are needed for the upcoming School #22 Holiday Store . Do you have any small items that you no longer use but would make a great gift for someone else? Help fill School #22’s Holiday Store with small gifts that the students can purchase for their family members. Donations of jewelry, small games, balls, toys, hand creams, tools, handbags, scarves, blankets, etc. would all make great gifts for the Holiday Store. Please drop donations off in the labeled box in the Workroom by Sunday, December 10 .

The Brighton Food Cupboard has served some of us. At least two people have commented in church that they have needed a food cupboard in leaner days, maybe others still do, so keep that in mind when shopping for food or toiletries. If you prefer, put a check to The Brighton Cupboard in a labeled envelope in the collection basket. For questions, contact Alison Wilder.

Other News and Reminders

Our events calendar is online ! Be sure to view it often and keep up with all the activities happening at our church!

Next up at Café Veritas is Michael Braunfeld on December 2, 7:30pm . All are welcome.

The First Wednesday Book Group next meets on Wednesday, December 6 at 11:15am to discuss the nonfiction book Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital by David Oshinsky. All are welcome.

The next Currents Discussion Group will discuss “Rediscovering Our Shared Values” on

Wednesday, December 13, 12:15-1:45pm. Drop-ins welcome.

UUs Reading Non-Fiction next meets to discuss The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History , by Elizabeth Kolbert on Wednesday, December 13, 7:00-8:30pm . All are welcome.

Aging Gratefully, a group open to anyone aged 60 and above, next meets to discuss “Our Bucket List” on Thursday, December 14 , 1:30-3:00pm.

All Youth Group alumni, participants and former youth group advisors are invited to a Youth Group Alumni Reunion Potluck on Wednesday, December 27, 5:00-9:00pm.

For another green tip from our Environmental Climate Task Force , click here .