January News from UUFS

January 2023

Our Mission Statement

As a welcoming congregation, we work and worship together to become people of open minds, loving hearts, and helping hands. We honor the transformative power of love in our individual lives and broader communities.

For information about our in-person service please see our Covid guidelines below. Or, if you prefer to attend online, the service will be offered at this zoom link: https://uuma.zoom.us/j/5915836890.

January 1

"Annual Fire Communion"

Shari Barr

During our Annual Fire Communion service, we invite participants to reflect silently on the past year, what we want to release, where we are now and what we might invite into our lives in the new year. Weather permitting, the service will be outdoors. Guests are welcome. Childcare will be provided for young children.

January 8

"Why Religion?"

Rev. Jane Page

Rev. Jane begins her series on "Big Questions" with questioning whether humans have evolved the need for religion.

January 15

“MLK Sunday”

Paulette Chavers

We are fortunate to have City Council member, Paulette Chavers, as our special speaker for MLK Sunday.

January 22

"Who or What is God?”

Rev. Jane Page

Rev. Jane continues her series on "Big Questions" by questioning "God." Come explore with us.

January 29

"Thoughts on Prayer”

Clint Tawes

As members of a religious community which values diversity in our religious beliefs and practices, prayer for us takes many forms. In this sermon, Clint will discuss what prayer means to him personally, and how his view of prayer has evolved and continues to evolve.

NOTE: The county Covid risk level is subject to change.

Pictured above, left to right: Relinda Walker, Cynthia Frost, Dee Liston, Shari Barr

In November, the Fellowship’s outgoing and incoming presidents, Adrienne Cohen and Dee Liston, reached out to the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Southern Region Representative, Rev. Kathy McGowan to identify support for UUFS in the coming year.

Their goal, Liston says, was to learn from other congregations “as we engage in developing a 5-year plan and restructuring UUFS to better ‘empower and enhance everyone's participation,’ as stated in our By-Laws. McGowan encouraged us to send a team to an online workshop, ‘Essentials for Lay-Led Congregations.’”

The December 10 workshop was not an exact fit for the Fellowship at the moment, which expects to continue with its halftime minister, Rev. Jane Page, until her retirement in 2026. But Liston and three others decided to attend the online workshop.

The four attendees --- Liston, Cynthia Frost, Shari Barr, and Relinda Walker --- met recently to share with each other what they learned from their individual workshop sessions. Below are the sessions each person attended and their “take-home” highlights:

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Bulloch Bears Witness: Music, Memory and Moving Forward

6 pm Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023

Georgia Southern’s Carter Recital Hall in the Foy Fine Arts Building

The Statesboro-Bulloch Remembrance Coalition invites the public to attend “Bulloch Bears Witness: Music, Memory, and Moving Forward” at 6 pm Wednesday, January 4, 2023. This event will be held at Georgia Southern University’s Carter Recital Hall in the Foy Fine Arts Building and is free to the public. It will be an evening of song and conversation examining the local legacies of racial terror and envisioning remembrance projects that can move the community toward healing. The event will feature local musicians, poets, historians, and advocates.

The Statesboro-Bulloch Remembrance Coalition is a group of Bulloch County community members who are committed to memorializing the victims of local lynchings and fostering meaningful dialogue about race and justice. The Coalition has partnered with the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), founded by Bryan Stevenson, author of the book Just Mercy.

The Coalition’s work is inspired by the visits of many members to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama.

Coalition Co-Chair Patrick Novotny, a political scientist in Statesboro, says the group’s work acknowledges the histories of lynching in Bulloch County, and “these stories are not easy to tell.” He sees “Bulloch Bears Witness” as a way to expand the conversation about past and present racial terror through “poetry, prayers, sermons, and songs that connect our voices across the generations.”

Coalition Co-Chair and community organizer Adrianne McCollar agrees. “There is still so much history to be made,” McCollar says. “As we write these next chapters, I want those coming behind us to see that we faced the wrongdoing of our past and that we recognize the impacts that our past actions have on us today. I want the next generation to see that we have learned from it, and that we worked to correct it.”

For more information or to get involved in this work, please contact the Co-Chairs at: info@bullocheji.org.

For more information visit the Coalition’s website at bullocheji.org

NOVEMBER VOLUNTEERS

2022/2023 JOINT BOARD MEETING

Final 2022 COSM Meeting

Thank you, retiring Chair Dee Liston, and continuing Shari Barr, Barb Hendry and Rev Jane Page. And, welcome to new member Relinda Walker.

MindBody Center Yoga

now has more In-Person Yoga classes.

See Covid precautions below.

Tuesday, 9:30-11:00 am Iyengar Yoga with Inge

Wednesday, 8:00-9:00 am Yoga for the Spine with Lynn Geddes

Wednesday 9:30-10:30 am All Levels Yoga with Fred

Thursday, 9:30-11:00 am Ease into Iyengar Yoga with Inge

For Fred’s and Inge's classes register with this link:

https://app.punchpass.com/org/14237/classes/

For Lynn’s classes email her at lynn@yogamefit.com

Covid Precautions: We are still observing some Covid restrictions and limit our classes to 7 participants. To attend you must be vaccinated, be symptom-free, and observe social distancing. Mask wearing is optional.

Reduced fee for Newcomers to MindBody Center: $30 for 4 classes

For more information on our yoga classes click this link: https://mindbodycenteryoga.com

For more information on Fascia Fitness Training click this link: https://fasciatrainingacademy.com/6-fascial-fitness-training-principles/

Inge Spencer

Iyengar Certified Instructor

MindBody Center Yoga

912 596-3322 (call or text)

mindbodycenteryoga.com

For more information on our classes and instructors go to www.mindbodycenteryoga.com

or call or text Inge at 912-596-3322