WEEKLY UPDATE |September 18-24, 2022 | |
September 25, 2022 | 10:00am
"Shameless"
Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein, Parish Minister
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Worship with us at 10:00am
in the Sanctuary and on Facebook Live!
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The Jewish high holy days, with their emphasis on deep inner reflection, accountability for sin and the attempt to apologize for wrongs done to others, invites us to reflect on guilt, shame, accountability and cancel culture. This service will feature special choral music and we will be joined by soloist Krystal Marin. Scott Nowka will report to us about our community partnership with ECCO and their urgent social justice initiatives for which all our support is needed.
We will be together at church and on Facebook Live [https://www.facebook.com/UUCGL]. For the morning offertory you may donate online: uucgl.org/donate.
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Peanut Butter and Jelly Collection
Continues Through the Month
Thank you for your generous donations of peanut butter and jelly for our sandwich-making nights!
Each time we gather at the church we make 250-275 bagged meals for guests at My Brother's Table. We will continue our collection through the month if you were unable to donate at our September 11 Ingathering Sunday.
Please join us for our next Meal Prep on Tuesday, September 27 at 6:30pm in the Parish Hall.
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A Message from Rev. Vicki | |
In the Spirit
As we build and strengthen community, we would like to reconvene a covenant group for deep sharing and relationship-building. It is always hard to know when to schedule such offerings, so if you would be interested in being part of a small group, would you let Rev. Chris or me know what days and times work for you, and also frequency? The Dialogue Group is a great model that has worked for a long time, and is convened twice a month.
Save the Date: I would like to invite those who would like to be better equipped for trauma-informed caring conversations to attend an October 30 training session after church. Everyone is welcome, but especially if you consider yourself to be part of the Pastoral Caregivers Ministry Team.
On the healthy bodies front, I got my bivalent vaccination yesterday, which gives me a sense of reassurance. I hope you will get one if you are eligible. It's "funny" (not ha ha funny, but you know what I mean) that as the weather cools and kids are back in school, many folks are getting little colds and sore throats and naturally, worrying that it's Covid. Remember that we have tests in the front foyer if you want to grab some. What a time to be alive, when we give enthusiastic thanks for having "just" a common cold.
It's a very busy and buzzy time of year, and it has been more delightful than I can fully express to see so many of you and your kids. Let's keep reaching out and reaching in, and creating the strong, progressive community that the world so deeply needs and that so many people know in their heart of hearts that they would really like to be part of. Do not hesitate to invite, call, and encourage (couer).
In faith, hope and love,
Rev. Vicki
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This This Sunday children & youth will put together meal bags for My Brother's Table.
Our children & youth faith development programs had a great start last Sunday. This Sunday, all PreK through high school students are invited to gather at 10am in the Skylight Room to assist our Social Justice Ministry Team’s monthly efforts in putting together brown bag dinners for My Brother’s Table. We will have some time to get to know each other and to begin to choose a story to use for this winter’s video pageant, as well!
For more details and to register, check out our programs for children webpage here. Or go directly to registration here.
See you Sunday!
Rev. Chris Scheller
Minister of Community Life and Learning
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Join us in Celebration of Rev. Vicki's 10th Anniversary at UUCGL
Over the last 10 years, Rev. Vicki has served as our Parish Minister. She has journeyed with us, collectively and individually, through so many trials and challenges, joys and milestones.
We will celebrate this important anniversary together after worship on November 6th, and to prepare we are asking for your help now!
Because it takes time to document, arrange, and prepare, we are asking you to share some of the memories and appreciations that you have of her this month, by September 30th! We are using an online platform called Kudoboard to make it easy for everyone to add a personal note of appreciation, a memory, along with any photos or videos that might go along with those appreciations if you’d like. Click here to go to the board.
If you’d prefer, you may also email your memories, appreciations, and pictures to Rev. Chris Scheller, at cscheller@uucgl.org, or drop them by the church office, and we’ll add them for you. Then we will create and print a book to give to her on November 6th.
Gratitude is a wonderful gift and a wonderful practice, so let’s get started and please save the date of November 6th to celebrate this important milestone of the church together in person.
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Poetry-Writing Workshop
Art & Spirituality series continues!
Sunday, October 2 | 11:30am-12:30pm
Fellowship Room at UUCGL
Our Poetry-writing workshop time is moving! We will meet the first Sunday of October, December, and February (no meetings scheduled for November or January). For our October meeting, all are invited to bring a poem about your favorite season to share and workshop with the group, or just drop in to get your creative juices flowing. Award-winning resident poet, Clem Schoenebeck, will lead the workshop. Questions? Email Rev. Chris Scheller at cscheller@uucgl.org. I hope you can join us!
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The Impacts of Climate Change
With Professor Stephen Young
Wednesday, October 12 | 7:00am-8:00pm
UUCGL Sanctuary & Facebook Live
Join us in hosting, in partnership with the Swampscott Conservancy, UUCGL member and Professor Stephen Young from the Geography and Sustainability department at Salem State University. He will discuss the science of why our climate is changing, and what to expect in the future. Professor Young will also discuss how New England’s climate is changing and the impacts that our coastal communities will face in the future.
We have left a stable climate which our civilization developed in, a climate that fluctuated but would return to long-term temperature and precipitation averages. Our new, transitional climate will not return to long-term averages and will continue to warm and as it continues to heat up, droughts, floods, fires and sea-level rise will intensify for decades to come. We are just beginning to witness the punishing influences of climate change-induced impacts.
Joining Professor Young will be Yaroslava Shiryayeva, a senior at Swampscott High School and climate activist who will provide a youth voice to the urgency of action.
Wednesday October 12, 7:00-8:00pm, in the UUCGL sanctuary and live on our Facebook page: [https://www.facebook.com/UUCGL]
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Community Drum Circle
Embodied Spiritual Practices series
October 16 | 1:30-3:30pm
Third Sunday of each month
UUCGL Sanctuary
Our Community Drum Circle, formed over 14 years ago continues on the 3rd Sunday of every month in the church Sanctuary!
Over the years this group has offered a wonderful embodied spiritual practice, built friendships, and created community. Many in the group play the African Djembe, but other types of drums and percussion instruments are welcome. Suggested donation is $5-$10.
Open to individuals 10 years-old and up, the Drum Circle plays African based rhythms along with free-formed ones, that blend together, in a moving, spiritual way. It is a way to express yourself. You will leave the afternoon feeling inspired and relaxed. No experience necessary! Come out and plan to have an afternoon of spiritual awakening, fun and meeting wonderful people. Drums are available for borrowing, and you are free to dance if the spirit moves you. These events are open to the larger community and so please feel free to bring a friend and spread the word!
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Ways to Help Our Community | |
Meal Bags for My Brother's Table
Tuesday, September 27 | 6:30-8:30pm
UUCGL Parish Hall
Join us September 27, at 6:30pm in the Parish Hall as we make lunch and dinner bags for My Brother's Table. The bags are given out to the guests to supplement their main meal. We are making 75 lunch bags and 175 dinner bags. It takes about 10 of us a little over an hour to make these bags. If you are interested in helping out, please email Michael at michaelcelona@yahoo.com.
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Food Insecurity in Our Local Communities
How can you help?
Please visit the Social Justice Ministry Team's page here to read about how to contribute food to our partners St. Stephen's Food Pantry and My Brother's Table. Sending a check (or donating online) is very helpful, as is volunteering to unload the truck from the Greater Boston Food Bank at St. Stephen's and helping guests get their bags filled. There are also community refrigerators in Lynn that you can fill with fresh produce and Anchor Food Pantry in Swampscott that also makes it very easy to volunteer.
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Green Sanctuary Ministry Team -
Our Environment and Opportunities
to Take Action
Would you like to do more for our environment? Would you like to find ways that you can help? The Green Sanctuary Ministry Team offers a list of organizations that support the environment and offer opportunities to take action, click here for their resource list. For more information about current and past activities of the UUCGL Green Sanctuary Ministry Team, click here.
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UUCGL Church History Ministry Team
Sunday, October 16| 11:30am
Fellowship Room
The Church History Team's mission is to preserve, organize, and make available pertinent materials relating to our church. Materials include church relics and documents, such as minister's sermons, annual reports, minutes of the church board, ministry teams and church committees and other church records. The Team usually meets on the first Sunday of each month. Anyone interested in preserving and organizing important church records is welcome to the meetings. The Team's next meeting will be on Sunday, October 16th, in the Fellowship Room following the service.
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Pledge Payments and Donations
There are three easy ways to make a donation to the church. Please indicate whether your payment is toward your pledge or for another purpose.
- Send or deliver 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.
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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!
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Stay Connected with UUCGL
Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or if we can help. Click below to email one of us. Stay well, stay connected!
The Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein, Rev. Chris Scheller, MCLL, Mary Gatlin, UUCGL President, Elizabeth Muller, Business Administrator, Angie Kern, Administrative Assistant, Kenneth Griffith, Director of Music, Chris Hansen, Grants Coordinator
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UUCGL BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2022-2023
President: Mary Gatlin
Past President: Clare Campbell
Treasurer: Rebecca Greene
Clerk: Jim Olivetti (through 2023)
At Large Trustees:
Nicki Buscemi (through 2025)
Jack Butterworth (through 2025)
Loretta Connolly (through 2023)
Cathy Cubby (through 2024)
Mark Shilo (through 2025)
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The next issue: October 2, 2022
Deadline: Wednesday, Sept. 28, 10am
Please send your notices to Angie Kern (akern@uucgl.org).
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Contact Information Reminder | |
Does the Office Know Your Current
Contact Information?
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Please keep your name, address, phone number, and e-mail current in the church office. E-mail Elizabeth Muller with your correct information.
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Not sure what information we have on file for you?
Call Elizabeth at:
781-595-8836, ext. 10
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Recurring UUCGL Programming | |
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Sunday Schedule
Fellowship Hour: 11am
(781) 595-8836
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