November 28, 2021 Weekly Update

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WEEKLY UPDATE |Nov. 28-Dec. 4, 2021

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November 28, 2021 | 10:00am

"My Soul Awaits"

Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein

Worship with us at 10:00am!

For this first Sunday in Advent, we will gather for a very simple, meditative service. The music staff has the weekend off, so Chris Scheller will be providing our musical accompaniment. We will usher in the winter and the holidays together, in peace.

We will be together at church and on Facebook Live [https://www.facebook.com/UUCGL]. The recording of the service will also be on our YouTube page which you can always access through our website, uucgl.org.

Join us for a Zoom Coffee Hour at 11:30am for Questions and Conversation about the Ordination of Chris Scheller.

Click to join our Zoom Coffee Hour at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86959684645

Meeting ID: 869 5968 4645

One tap mobile: +16465588656,,86959684645# US (New York) +13017158592,,86959684645# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +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: 869 5968 4645

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kb3RNAEFPw

Ordination Questions & Conversations

Questions & Conversations

About the Ordination of Chris Scheller

During Zoom Coffee Hour at 11:30am, Sunday, November 28

After worship on December 19th, there will be a special meeting of the congregation to vote to ordain our Director of Community Life and Learning, Chris Scheller, in the spring of 2022. This Sunday Rev. Vicki and Chris will host a virtual Q&A about the ordination process on Zoom during the 11:30am fellowship hour. We want all members of the congregation to understand how this exciting process works so that all are able to appreciate and participate in this joyous opportunity.

Because of our unique history, it is the special function of the congregation, not the central organization of the Unitarian Universalist Association, to ordain. A Unitarian Universalist ordination is a confirmation of a long process of ministerial formation validated by multiple congregations and the UUA. The congregational act of ordination acknowledges, culminates, and fulfills this process.

We hope to see you there!

In the Spirit

"In the Spirit"

There is an expression "FOMO," an acronym for "Fear Of Missing Out" that has apparently become much more common and distressing (especially for younger people) in the age of social media. That makes sense; people curate their social media feeds to feature perfect meals, happy gatherings, gorgeous surroundings in nature or in the home, and idealized images of their lives. I do it, too, although with the intention of sharing what I'm grateful for rather than to create the illusion that my life is nothing but lovely moments. I occasionally share the unlovely moments, too, as I think it's important for us to reveal our struggles as well as the beauty.

The holidays are a time when FOMO can hit people of all ages hard. They are full of memory and nostalgia, longings for the family, marriages or friendships we may have never had and wished we did, and a lot of pressure to create magic with gifts, outings, special food and decorations. I encourage you to be very intentional this year about creating holidays that are beautiful and nurturing to you, to your soul, under the conditions of your actual life and not a life you may wish for. This may mean making time to rest more, to cuddle up with a book or schedule real quiet time, to grieve losses that will come back more keenly this time of year, and to plan how and whether or not you wish to feast with fancy foods and drink. When we dread the approach of a season and white-knuckle it, the resistance to hurt can be harder than the hurt itself. Be how and who and where you are emotionally, spiritually, energy-wise. Trust the people in your life with the truth. Try to figure out what you need, and ask those with whom you will share this season to support you in getting it.

I know that I need to be with loved ones on Thanksgiving. I know I need to watch the parade in the morning while I cook, and to hear "Alice's Restaurant," and I know that I need to make my mom's coleslaw (essential for leftover turkey sandwiches), my own sausage-sage stuffing, and cranberry sauce from a recipe given me by a beloved parishioner from Norwell. I know I need a real grace at the table, and a walk after dinner. Some of those things I can make happen easily, others may require a respectful request to which I am prepared to hear "nope, doesn't work for us." The point is that I shall have asked, and not silently hoped that the day would fulfill what I need without saying anything. I hope for you that you will spend some time with your own heart and to acquaint yourself with what it might be trying to communicate with you. And I pray that your holidays be full of blessing, attentiveness to magic, and the fulfillment of what you most need.

In faith, hope, love, and coleslaw,

Rev. Vicki

Faith Development

November Greetings!

The scenery for our solstice pageant is starting to look great thanks to our artistic director Trinidad Martinez and the rest of our wonderful team of all ages! As a reminder, there will be no religious education or OWL class this Sunday due to the Thanksgiving break. On Sunday December 5th we will begin to film for our pageant story and OWL class will be offered that evening, as well.

Blessings of Thanksgiving to you all,

Chris Scheller

Director of Community Life and Learning

Children/Youth Registration or to Volunteer : If you haven’t done so yet, please register your children and youth online through this link and sign up to volunteer to help out once or twice here . I hope you can join us.

UUCGL Programming

Readings in Resilience

Continues Mondays at 7pm on Zoom

November 29, December 6

Join us for close reading and reflection of pieces by writers, poets, composers and philosophers from across history and cultures who have wisdom to impart for perilous times. Contact victoria.weinstein@gmail.com to be added to the class list.

Co-facilitated by Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein and Professor Steven Dooner, English Department, Quincy College.

UUCGL and the Local Community

St. Stephen's Food Pantry

can use our help!

St. Stephen's food pantry is in need of money and food. The number of people visiting the pantry is up after a dip during the summer. For food donations, it is best if they have many of the same types of items (i.e., one for each bag). If people want to coordinate the purchasing and donating of certain items (peanut butter, eggs, etc.), let me know.

If people want to donate money to the pantry, they can make the check out to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (put PANTRY in the memo) and mail to:

St. Stephen's Food Pantry, C/O St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

74 South Common Street, Lynn, MA 01902

We have a growing UUCGL team volunteering at the pantry on Fridays; please contact the church if you can join us.

-Michael Celona - Social Justice Ministry Team

Can You Help My Brother's Table

Brown Bag Meal Program?

MBT’s response to the pandemic was to assemble a network of volunteers who work from their homes. These off-site volunteers assemble lunch and dinner bags to provide to-go meals while MBT is not open for in-house dining. If you are interested in working with other church members to assemble lunch or dinner bags OR if you are interested in supporting this work with a monetary donation or a food donation, we would like to hear from you. For more information about MBT please contact Deb Boggs, Clare Campbell, or Michael Celona. To find out more about our efforts for local food pantries and our Social Justice Ministry Team activities, please go to our website page at https://www.uucgl.org/socialjustice.

UUCGL Reopening Guidelines

Guidelines from UUCGL's

Reopening Task Force

Our highest priority is the health and wellbeing of our congregation and community. In recent months we have learned that the Delta variant is much more contagious and dangerous than previously thought, particularly for unvaccinated individuals. We strongly encourage members of our congregation to take advantage of free vaccinations and testing to better protect the most vulnerable among us. In addition, we offer the following guidelines to give UUCGL’s congregation an active role in stopping the spread of the Delta variant while still allowing us to gather in person. These guidelines will be in place through December 31, 2021, at which point staff members and the Reopening Task Force will re-evaluate using community health data and UUA and CDC recommendations.

Click here for UUCGL updated guidelines.

UUCGL Financial Matters

UUCGL Pledge Payments

There are three easy options of paying:

Send your check to the church (101 Forest Avenue, Swampscott, MA 01907).
Set up a bill-pay system with your bank and have the check sent to the above address.
Donate online. To donate online, click here for our website 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!