WEEKLY UPDATE |November 1-7, 2020
|
|
Daylight Savings Ends
This Sunday, November 1
Don't forget to turn your clocks back 1 hour before bed Saturday night! See you Sunday morning at 10am!
|
Sunday Worship via Zoom
November 1 | 10:00am
"The Anchor"
The Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein
|
Gather together in spirit for our All Souls service filled with beautiful music, remembrance and a message of hope amid the storm.
Our service will be followed by our Sunday Fellowship Hour. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and join us!
We miss you!
Join Zoom Worship:
Meeting ID: 810 6381 6583
One tap mobile:
+16465588656,,81063816583# US (New York)
+13017158592,,81063816583# US (Germantown)
Dial by your location:
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
Meeting ID: 810 6381 6583
Find your local number:
Our offertory donation link can be found on the church website here.
|
|
|
|
Did you miss last week's service segment, or want to watch it again?
|
|
November 3, 2020
Invitation from Rev. Vicki
Rev. Vicki will be up on Election Night and welcomes everyone to "drop in" virtually between 9-10:30 PM (maybe later!).
Pour a glass of wine or beer and check-in!
Note that there is a passcode to get onto the call.
Victoria Weinstein is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom gathering.
Topic: Rev. Vicki's Election Night Zoom Open House
Time: Nov 3, 2020 09:00pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 860 6000 1583
Passcode: DEMOCRACY
One tap mobile:
+16465588656,,86060001583#,,,,,,0#,,280131999# US (New York)
+13017158592,,86060001583#,,,,,,0#,,280131999# US (Germantown)
Dial by your location:
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
Meeting ID: 860 6000 1583
Passcode: 280131999
|
|
UUCGL Community Connections |
|
Thank You for Your Help!
An Update from
St. Stephen’s Food Pantry
Dear Friends,
St. Stephen’s Food Pantry has been alive and very well for many years now, feeding those most vulnerable members of our community. We have run into a difficult moment where our driver and helper are unable to pick up much needed food. We missed a truckload of food this month, and the pantry is feeling that deeply. FORTUNATELY, some folks in St. Stephen’s community and friends at the UU church stepped up last week providing much needed additional food items – as well as volunteering their time. So we did not have to close our doors this past Friday, leaving families without our much needed food – we filled 202 bags and passed them out to grateful recipients! (Their letter continued with an update on additional needs in the coming months.)
Thank you in advance for your help,
-Fr. Greg, Pam Alleyne & Joyce Wallace
With an additional week in October to provide food, there will be less on their shelves by the end of this month and they will still need help from the community to replenish their supplies. In addition to volunteers, they need: spaghetti sauce, cereal/oatmeal, canned fruit, canned vegetables, peanut butter, shelf milk (milk that does not need refrigeration), chicken (2 lbs. serving, not repackaged) and 250 brown paper grocery bags from Market Basket or Trader Joe’s. To volunteer or donate, please contact Pam Poppe ([email protected] 781 913 5190). Anyone who is not able to shop but would like to help can send a check to St. Stephen’s Church (74 S. Common St, Lynn, MA 01902) with Food Pantry in the memo line. Any small donation will go a long way toward helping a family who is food insecure.
|
|
How to Be An Anti-Racist
Book Conversation via Zoom
Wednesday, November 11 - 7-8:15pm
"There is no neutrality in the racism struggle."
~Ibram X. Kendi
The discussion group of Ibram X. Kendi's book, "How To Be An Anti-Racist," has launched! It is not too late to join in if you are reading this timely and enlightening book!
Click here to register with Anne Principe, co-facilitator of this group. Those registered will be sent a new Zoom link, as well as a recap of the previous meeting and themed reflections points for the upcoming focus chapters.
Please let the church know if you need help obtaining a copy of this important book.
|
|
Wisdom Circle is Back!
Thursday, November 12
Second Thursday of each month
12:00-1:30 via Zoom
We can “lunch” together, as before, if you wish, while we meet and chat.
Wisdom Circle is a monthly gathering geared toward seniors to share the perspectives and life experiences of older age. It is intended to be supportive and informative, a program both of faith development and pastoral ministry.
For our next meeting, we plan on a casual agenda, an extended check-in, to touch base and discuss how we have all been surviving, and hopefully thriving, in these past months, in such a stressful and unusual year. If you have any ideas for future meeting discussions, we’d love to hear them!
Ruth will be sending out Zoom information to those in the group prior to this meeting. All are welcome, even if you have not participated before, just click here, to let Ruth know you would like to receive Zoom information.
Looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday, November 12.
The facilitators are Gloria Kozlosky and Ruth Griffin.
|
|
Parenting Group Rescheduled
Will Meet Monthly
Beginning November 18
There’s still time to join UUCGL’s Zoom parenting group! We postponed the first meeting, which will now be Wednesday, November 18, from 8-9pm. Come reconnect with other UUCGL parents. This group is for anyone who is actively parenting, not just those with young kids. RSVP to Mary Gatlin at [email protected] or 541-870-1610 by November 11; she will send a Zoom link to all participants before November 18.
Has parenting during COVID changed your family dynamics?
Join UUCGL's new parenting group to talk through your experiences. Facilitated by Chris Scheller, a UU religious professional with extensive experience in family religious education and lifetime learning.
|
|
A Message from the
Social Justice Ministry Team
“Never forget, justice is what love looks like in public.”
That’s a quote from Cornel West, spoken many times, quoted by many, and displayed on a UUCGL bulletin board in church for years, maybe it is still there.
How can we show love, ensure we are just, and that all people, Black, Brown and White people are living in justice? First, we must VOTE and encourage others to vote.
Second, as a primarily white congregation, let’s commit ourselves, no matter what happens in the election, to examine the lasting legacy of slavery. Our understanding of institutional racism is key to making change, real policy change.
It is a difficult time now in 2020, but I am hopeful. In 1857, with the Dred Scott decision the Supreme Court declared that even freed slaves were not citizens. I read a quote from an NPR report: “Although disappointed, Frederick Douglass found a bright side to the decision and announced, "my hopes were never brighter than now." For Douglass, the decision would bring slavery to the attention of the nation and was a step toward slavery's ultimate destruction.”
I believe the pandemic, the countless victims of police shooting we can name, and the poor handling of these and other issues by the current administration, has awakened White people to the racist climate and policies that People of Color are subjected to every day, just as the Dred Scot decision did in 1857.
As co-chair of the Social Justice Ministry Team, I commit to being an antiracist and advocating for policy change. ...- Martha Curry
|
|
Unitarian Universalist Women
of Greater Lynn Membership Renewal
and New Member Invitation
We'd love to have you join us!
Much of what the UUW has done in prior years will have to change this year due to the pandemic, BUT your input is important to us, we'd love to hear from you! Your ideas for programs, fundraisers and fellowship are always welcome! Please join us at our next virtual meeting in early 2021. Details will be sent in advance.
Please begin or renew your UUW membership by sending $25 payable to UUWGL- c/o Joanne Brine, 4 Lake View Place, Lynn, MA 01904. Dues (along with investment and fundraising income) are used primarily for philanthropic purposes. This calendar year we donated a total of $5,000 to 18 charitable organizations and a total of $4,500 for several college scholarships.
|
|
Mindfulness-Based Meditation Practice Group
with Anne Principe via Zoom
Mornings 7:30-7:50am
|
|
While we are apart, we can breathe together . . .
All are welcome to be a part of a small group ministry to practice mindfulness meditation. Now more than ever, our connections with each other are vital to our sense of calm and hope.
Each morning’s meditation will offer
- introduction of core concept
- silent meditation of 5-10 minutes seated comfortably in your own space
Click here for sign up, more information, and to find out what you’ll need in preparation for the practice.
|
|
Let's Have Some
Halloween Fun!
Have you carved your pumpkin yet?
Entry deadline has been extended!
Send those photos in to the GSMT!
We may not be able to have our usual fun together, but we can still have some UU fun! Let’s get creative! Will your pumpkin be happy, silly, or scary? Or maybe your pumpkin looks like someone you admire! Get creative: carving knife, paint, pens, glue, clothing, accessories? There's no limit to your imagination!
|
|
|
|
Enjoy each other's company in one or all of our Zoom gatherings! We hope that this will be easy for you to do and offer some simple instructions here:
1. If you already have the Zoom software, just click on the link provided for each gathering. In most cases, it will take you directly to the gathering.
2. If you do not have Zoom installed, click on the link and you will be prompted to download and run it, a very fast process, you should then be taken to the gathering. (To save time, you can download and install it before the gathering by going to https://zoom.us/download. How the software is installed is dependent on the device or browser you are using.)
3. If it is asking for the meeting ID number and password, enter those specific numbers and you will be taken to the meeting.
If you are hosting a Zoom gathering, it is helpful to have an assistant who can monitor the waiting room or handle any technical needs, while you, the host, can attend to the gathering.
Hosts and attendees: when the gathering is over, follow the prompts, click leave meeting and be sure to close out of Zoom, if you don't, people can still see or hear you! Be careful when you Zoom!
|
|
How to Support Your Church |
|
Pledge Payments
There are three easy options of paying:
1. Send your check to the church (101 Forest Avenue, Swampscott, MA 01907).
2. Set up a bill-pay system with your bank and have the check sent to the above address.
3. Donate online. To donate online, please go to our website (uucgl.org) and click “Donate” in the upper right-hand corner. After you fill in the information page, click “Submit.” You will then be offered options to pay through your PayPal account, if you have one, or through your credit card.
Thank you for your support!
|
|
Stay Connected with UUCGL
We hope you are managing this evolving pandemic in the best way possible. Staff continue to work from home and can be reached at the email addresses listed below. The church has a number of ways to help you. The Board, its committees, and church staff are still working on behalf of the congregation - that means YOU! Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or if we can help. Thank you and be well!
The Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein
Eileen Cummings, UUCGL President
Elizabeth Muller, Business Administrator
Angie Kern, Administrative Assistant
Kenneth Griffith, Director of Music
|
|
Grants Committee and the Grants Coordinator |
|
We would like to remind all our parishioners that we are here for you should you need help with rent or utility bills during this difficult time. We can provide aid through our Spinney Mudge Emergency Funds. We also provide scholarships to college students. Please call Chris Hansen, our Grants Coordinator at 781-595-8836, ext. 23 and leave a message with your name and telephone number and she will get back to you or email her
Thank you,
The Grants Committee
|
|
Pastoral Care Ministry Team |
|
The good news is that, presently, no one in our congregation, of the calls our Pastoral Team has been making, is symptomatic of the coronavirus. We count our blessings. Each of us is challenged not only by a barrage of information but also by creatively adapting to new ways of "life, as
usual." Feeling lonely? Need groceries? Got coping ideas to share? Is there a change in your contact info (since September)? Call 781-595-8836 ext 16.
Claire Wilson, Pastoral Care Coordinator
|
|
Next issue:
Week of November 8
The next Weekly Update deadline is Wednesday, November 4, 9am. Please send your notices to Angie Kern ([email protected]).
|
|
Contact Information Reminder |
|
Does the Office Know Your Current
Contact Information?
|
|
Please keep your name, address, phone number, and e-mail current in the church office. E-mail Elizabeth Muller with your correct information.
|
|
Not sure what information we have on file for you?
Call Elizabeth at:
781-595-8836, ext. 10
|
|
|
Dialogue Group
2nd & 4th Sunday
of each month via Zoom
5pm
|
|
"Dialogue" is a way of practicing deep listening that enables us to share personal experiences and thoughts in a way that collectively builds a more expansive understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
During the church closure, this group is currently meeting via Zoom on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month at 5pm. You can connect to the Zoom meeting here. Dialogue and the discursive meditation are part of the method of Cafh, a path of spiritual unfolding. Click for more information about the discursive meditation, and Cafh here.
|
|
Community Drum Circle
Stay tuned
date tbd
2nd & 4th Sundays
1:30pm
|
|
During the church closure, this group is not meeting at this time. Stay tuned for updates. This informal group builds community through drumming. From time to time master drummers, experienced in a variety of drumming styles, visit to offer their leadership. This group meets in the Sanctuary. Registration is not required.
|
|
|
|
Sunday Zoom Schedule
Worship & Children's Ministry: 10am
Fellowship Hour: 11am
(781) 595-8836
|
|
Like us on Facebook, or view sermons on YouTube!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
