Nurture spirituality. Foster compassion. Engage in service.
January Theme: Justice



"Unitarian? What's that?" Ever been asked that question?

"Invite a Friend" Sunday is Jan 25. Please invite a friend to church! Of course, it's great to invite a friend to church on any Sunday. Jan 25 is a particularly good day to do so because: (a) they'll be among lots of other newcomers too, and (b) I'll be preaching an "Introduction to UU" sermon. It's a good day for your friends to begin getting to know CUC!

When you ask your friend to come with you to church, you might encounter those questions -- "Unitarianism? What's that?" You'll want to keep your answer brief -- though it's good to be ready to go into more depth just in case that's needed. There are a number of possible approaches:
  • The Principles. Tell them about the seven principles.
  • Noncreedal, Nondoctrinal. "What UUs believe is that your religion isn't about what you believe. Instead, religion is about three things: the ethics and values that guide your life; community; and deep experiences of awe and interconnection."
  • History. "Unitarians and Universalists, which merged in 1961, each go back over 200 years in this country. We began as two Protestant denominations that stressed freedom, reason, and acceptance. We evolved over time and are no longer exclusively Christian."
  • Diversity. "Our congregations include Christians, Jews, Pagans, Buddhists, and Humanists -- atheists and otherwise -- all united by a covenantal commitment to learn and grow together and support each other."
  • Mission. "Our mission is to nurture spiritual growth, foster compassion and understanding, and engage in service to transform ourselves and our world."
And, of course, invite them to browse the internet to learn about us:
www.uua.org
www.cucwp.org
www.discoveruu.com

Journey Groups

Our Journey Groups this month, on the theme of Justice, will give you the chance to reflect on what justice does and could mean to you. See the monthly packet: CLICK HERE.

Practice of the Week: Love

For last week's practice, we cultivated self-acceptance. Great. That's an ongoing process we'll always need to return to from time to time, but this week work on extending the love to others. "We need to give love to be healthy and whole. If you bottle up your love, you bottle up your whole being. Love is like water: it needs to flow; otherwise, it backs up on itself and gets stagnant and smelly. Look at the faces of some people who are very loving: they're beautiful, aren't they? Being loving heals old wounds inside and opens untapped reservoirs of energy and talent. It's also a profound path of awakening, playing a central role in all of the world's major religious traditions." READ MORE...

Saturday Zen: Sat Jan 17

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few" (Shunryu Suzuki). Zen practice and dharma talk & discussion is available at the Parsonage on Saturday mornings. 10:00 - 11:45a. READ MORE...

Sun Jan 18: Bird Walk

Rev. LoraKim Joyner leads this stroll around the CUC property, looking for and talking about birds and other wild life -- and reflecting the ways all of life enriches our own. Starts at 8:30am behind the Parsonage. (Note: The date is Jan 18 -- not Jan 25, as listed in the Communitarian.)

This Week's News: See the Jan 18 issue of the Gazette: CLICK HERE.

Yours in the faith we share,
-Meredith
Rev. Meredith Garmon
Minister
Worship Jan 11, 10:00: In the Spirit of Truth

Rev. Meredith Garmon

Healing the divisions of race, class, gender, and other divides will require us to come together in the spirit of truth -- to speak the truth as we perceive it, to listen without judgment, to address uncomfortable feelings, to see others as ourselves.  


Sunday's Music. Piano music by Adam Kent and singing by the CUC Choir. READ MORE...

 

10:00 - Prelude

10:10 - Inviting the Bell and Gathering Song

 



As we move into the MLK weekend and think about the community of togetherness Dr. King was working to create, I hope you are finding a sense of connection in your life within and outside of CUC. Please let me know how we can help you find a deeper sense of community as each week passes. Please be sure to consider the upcoming opportunities in the following four (4) announcements:

1) A very important special Social Justice lesson has been planned for this Sunday, January 18 at 10am...

Children in K-8th grade will be looking at various human rights and what happens when those rights are denied. Then they will make posters and create a chant for their "protest march" to the sanctuary.

High school youth will be examining the Kenneth Chamberlain case in White Plains, with a mock trial that acts as a springboard into a conversation about recent police actions and the racial justice issues that have been raised as a result. Julie Carran, Chair of the Westchester Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute for Nonviolence, will be a special guest for the program.

If you are interested in developing more Social Justice opportunities in Religious Education and for families, please join the Justice RE Support Team for a conversation this Sunday at 11:40am in Room 24.

2) After the service and RE, stay for the Winter Wonderland Brunch. 
  
Please bring a green salad, cold veggie dish, bread, or dessert. 
Contributed dishes will be considered your suggested donation.
The brunch gang will provide the hot entrees.
For those not able to bring a dish, suggested donations are:  
$5 adults, $3 child (12 and under), $15 family max.


3) SHARE THE LOVE!

Sunday, January 25th

BRING A FRIEND TO CUC

UUs don't proselytize...
but we do share our sense of community, inclusiveness, and spiritual searching.

There will be an RE information table after the service and then a UU Roots meeting to introduce people to Unitarian Universalism. We will have a Kids' UU Roots gathering at the same time, with a fun CUC tour.

4) Stitching In Spirit - Sunday, Feb. 1 at 11:45 a.m.
A CUC Adult RE Workshop led by Community Minister Rev. Kelly Murphy Mason

For millennia, fiber arts and handicrafts have figured significantly in people's communal and spiritual lives. Come join affiliated minister and avid crocheter Kelly Murphy Mason in this exploration of what it might mean to our faith community to be "stitching in spirit."
Please feel free to bring with you any handicrafting projects you might have underway - or else just bring an open and inquiring mind. Everyone is welcome.

I look forward to seeing you all this weekend as we continue to vision and create the world we wish to see around us.

Sincerely,
-Perry
Perry Montrose
Director of Lifespan Religious Education and Faith Development
Links & Reminders

New On "The Liberal Pulpit": Meredith's sermon on "Income Inequality" -- with lots of added graphs and charts. CLICK HERE.

What's In a Name Committee -- 20-min meetings are now scheduled, and we hope everyone can participate in one of them. READ MORE...

Our Child/Youth R.E. Classes Descriptions of each of our eight R.E. classes meeting on Sunday mornings: CLICK HERE.

The UUA Common Read for 2014-15 is: Paul Rasor, Reclaiming Prophetic Witness: Liberal Religion in the Public Square.  Order your copy! READ MORE...

General Assembly 2015 is in Portland, OR -- Jun 24-28. GA is amazing fun, enriching, deepening, and transformative! We encourage all CUC members to begin planning now to attend.

Jan issue of the Communitarian: CLICK HERE.
Jan Journey Group Packet: "Justice": CLICK HERE.
The web site for Community Unitarian Church: CLICK HERE.
The Five Foundational Spiritual Practices
 - Journal daily
 - Study daily
 - Silence daily
 - Group monthly
 - Mindfulness as much as you can
READ MORE...