Upcoming Worship Services
Sunday, October 1 at 9:30am and 11:15am
"
When Your Hair is Against the Dress Code
"
Rev. Tina Simson, preaching
Ahlia Kitwana, co-leading
Sunday, October 8 at 9:30am and 11:15am
"Theist and Humanist"
Rev. Joel Miller, preaching
Anna & Otto Cuyler, co-leading
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President's Column
by Tim Farnum
From the President of the Congregation
Our congregation was touched last week by pain and tragedy—as you may already know, a young man tormented by a psychosis fatally injured himself at church in what his parents felt was a search for sanctuary from his terror. My wife asked me what a psychosis is, because I have worked with and known many people with psychosis or other symptoms of mental illness. The best short explanation I could give her is that it is the loss of an ability to tell the difference between what is real and what is imagined. If you have an active imagination, you can see how terrifying that could be.
After my initial shock and sadness in reaction to this tragedy, I took time to look at it through the lens of my role as President of our congregation. I thought back to our recent meeting of the Board of Trustees: specifically, our consideration of comments collected from our congregants during the Thrive Drive. They range from positive to negative — negative in the sense that people had experienced the pain of being treated badly here at church, which to me is totally unacceptable in any spiritual community. I (and I think my fellow board members) left that discussion with a strong sense of the importance and urgency of our work to build and nurture real community here.
This week's tragedy and pain are another reminder that we come to church to connect, to find strength and solace as part of our community. We find the comfort and safety to heal our wounds, and the opportunity to combine our gifts with others’ to grow the strength we will need to build the Beloved Community here and in the world.
In Hope and Caring,
Tim Farnum
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Here are the latest opportunities to stay informed, strengthen
your faith, and connect with the community:
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Gratitude, Joys and Sorrows
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Thank you to the volunteers and diners who raised $464 for our BackPack Food program at School #22 last Sunday, to support healthy weekend food for students in need!
Please hold the family of Matthew Denk,
Larry Denk, Maureen McDonald and Alison Denk
, in your hearts and prayers. Matthew died on Thursday, September 21, 2017. A memorial will be held at our church on
Saturday, October 7, at 10:00am.
Also, our heart goes out to
Brian Hurlburt
, Brian’s beloved husband Jim Goff died Tuesday, September 26, after a long illness. A memorial will be held at our church in the future, once details are worked out.
"To live in hearts that love is not to die."
If you have a concern about a member of our congregation, please don't hesitate to contact Rev. Tina at 585-271-9070 x104.
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Another
Racial Justice Presentation
will be held his
Thursday, September 28, 7:00-9:00pm
. This is an opportunity to view the "Facing Racism" exhibit in our Williams Gallery, and to learn about actions you can take toward racial justice. For more information,
click here
.
Here is a second chance to see
An Equal Right to Act
by our
FirstLight Players
this
Saturday, September 30, at 2:30pm,
hosted by the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County. For details,
click here
.
UU101:
If you're new to our church, please join us after either service this
Sunday, October 1
.
Click here
for details.
1st Wednesday Morning Book Discussion Group
will discuss
Waking Up White
and
Finding Myself in the Story of Race
by Debby Irving. For details,
click here
.
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All church members and friends are invited to join our
Hospitality Leadership Team
, now forming to serve our Sunday worship services. If interested,
click here
for details.
The
Environmental Task Force
asks that you come to their table after services this weekend and sign a letter to Governor Cuomo about a proposed new natural-gas-fired power plant in Albany.
Click here
for more.
Are you a crafter of wood, fabric, pottery, jewelry, yarn, photos, paint, soaps, recycled items? Do you sell handmade items or earth friendly green products? Does your group sell a product that promotes social responsibility? The Social Justice Council is looking for new crafters to sell their wares at the upcoming
Benefits Boutique
in November. If interested,
click here
.
A
Brighton Food Cupboard
representative tells us that while they are low on everything, they especially like cereal, soup, cooking oil, salad dressing, and condiments. Leave your donations in the basket in the Lobby. For contact info,
click here
.
You have options in the way your pledge payments are processed.
Click here
to find out more.
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Roof construction is underway, so until further notice, the south parking lot is unavailable for church use. Also note that the back door is to be used as an emergency exit only.
The Board of Trustees
will hold a Special Meeting of the Congregation on
Sunday, October 8, 2017 at 1:00pm
in the Sanctuary, with the following agenda: 1. Establish a Quorum.
2. Approve Minutes of the Annual Congregational Meeting. 3. A motion to approve a change in policy to allow incidental minor changes to the bylaws. 4. Receive Reports of Social Justice Task Forces. 5. Vote on future Task Forces of the church.
Click here
for a
Green
Tip from your
Environmental Climate Task Force.
Click here
for this month's
Kahn's Corner
, a quote from Wendy Lesner’s newly published book,
You Say To Brick: The Life of Louis Kahn
.
Aging Gratefully
next meets
Thursday, October 12, 1:30-3:00pm
and the topic is
“
Ourselves as Parents.”
Lucy Kaplansky performs at
Café Veritas
on
Saturday, October 14, at 7:30pm
.
Click here
for more info.
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First Unitarian Church
220 Winton Road South
Rochester, NY 14610
Church Office is open
Monday-Friday, 10:00am-2:00pm
585-271-9070
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Newsletter submissions may be sent to
[email protected]
. Church or church-sponsored events only. Deadline is each Tuesday at 10:00 am.
All entries are subject to editorial approval.
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