October 11 - 17, 2018
The CommUUnicator
The Weekly Newsletter of
The Unitarian Society of Germantown
Building Beloved Community
THIS WEEK:
Tonight's Welcoming Congregation event has been postponed and will be rescheduled later; Friday, we welcome the Elderhood back for a new program year; Saturday, we support UUPLAN leaders in Harrisburg; and Sunday, we commit ourselves in various ways to the sanctuary of community.
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In Worship, 10:30am
Sanctuary of Community
Rev. Kent Matthies
An important Sunday at USG was when Rev. André Trocmé preached here. In 1942 Rev. Trocmé bravely led his French town, Le Chambon, to become a safe sanctuary for Jewish refugees seeking housing, food and passage to new countries. Today our neighbor church, The First United Methodist Church of Germantown, serves as Sanctuary for two families who do not have legal immigration status. How are WE called to participate in efforts to make a safe and caring community for all people to be themselves?
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We Share The Plate
this Sunday with
Rebuilding Together Philadelphia
. Your donations will go toward needed building supplies.
Click here
to make your secure donation online.
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In Child Spiritual Development
Children begin Sunday morning in the Sanctuary with their families and then at 10:45am are sung out to their classes:
- PreK - K - Sullivan 1
- Grades 1 - 3 - Nursery School, 1st Fl.
- Grades 4 - 6 - Sullivan 2 & 3
Class beginning at 10:30am:
- OWL, Grades 7 - 8 - Bristol Room (meets 10:30am - 12:00noon)
Beginning at 6:00pm this Sunday evening:
- Evening Youth Group (6:00 - 8:00pm)
Childcare
for children 4-5 years old and younger is offered this Sunday and most Sundays from 9:00am - 12:00pm in the Committee Room.
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Opportunities
Before the Worship Service
Meditate in the Meditation Room
Meditation, reading, dharma and sharing are offered in Sullivan 3 on the
First and Second Sundays of the month between 9:15 and 10:20am. All are welcome to join in quietly.
On the other Sundays the space is open for those who choose to come and sit. For information on meditation,
click here.
Drop off nonperishable food items for our annual
Fall Food Drive to the designated carts in the Kitchen. Donations in October and November will be divided and then delivered to both St. Vincent de Paul's Food Pantry and the UU House Outreach Program.
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Opportunities
After the Worship Service
Enjoy refreshments provided by Village 10.
ONLY ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL RTP! Sign up to help
REBUILD PHILLY! The USG team will be working with Rebuilding Together Philadelphia on Friday & Saturday
October 19 and 20. Sign up for one or both days with George Buckmann and Barbara Ginn. Great camaraderie and significant accomplishment are the rewards.
At 12:00pm, attend the Open Small Group Ministry in the Daskam Room.
SignUp
is the reminder tool USG uses to organize volunteers for our upcoming activities.
Click Here
to go to our group page to sign up online.
But wait! There's more!
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Then return this Sunday evening at 5:00pm
for 90 minutes of a
Mindfulness Meditation in Nurturing Kindness
, led by Deborah Cooper. Whether you have attended a previous session or are here for the first time, you are welcome.
Click here
for details. Final class, October 21.
Look for signage on how to access the Sullivan Chapel.
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Rev. Yvette Davis of POWER -
Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower, and Rebuild -
will deliver the sermon on
Sunday, October 21, 10:30am
Come learn about this growing Philadelphia interfaith movement for justice!
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POSTPONED!
We will keep you updated about rescheduling of the event.
Welcoming Congregation Refresher "Coming Out Day" Evening
Thursday, October 11
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Dear USG Members and Friends:
USG cordially invites you to a pot-luck reception to celebrate the
marriage of Mark Daugherty and Michael Wartell.
DATE: Saturday, October 27, 2018
TIME: 5-7 p.m.
PLACE: USG, Edna Jones Assembly Room
RSVP, please:
Please bring either a main dish, side dish, or salad to share. This is a BYOB event.
We hope you can join us!
The Event Planning Team: Linda Brunn, Beverly Gross Spencer, Delores Hill, Andrea Parry, Janet Young
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USG Pumpkin Carving Party!
Friday, October 26, 6:00- 8:00pm
Come one, come all to the Annual Pumpkin Carving Party at USG! We will enjoy fellowship, carve amazing jack-o' lanterns, bob for apples, share dinner and drinks, and the best part of all, we'll light up the sanctuary with our pumpkin creations and tell spooky stories.
Bring your own pumpkin and carving utensils.
Costumes are welcome, but not required. Pizza, beverages, and dessert will be served. Donations will be accepted to cover the cost of the refreshments.
This is a night full of fun, laughter and community, but
we can't do it without your help!
Please consider helping out while you're here- all tasks take a short time and you won't miss a moment of the carving fun!
Click here
to sign up to help.
If you have any questions, or need additional information, please contact: Adrianne Wolkenberg at
adriannewolkenberg@gmail.com
or 215-840-9775.
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Sunday, October 28, 10:30am
The Day of The Dead:
Connecting with Ancestors
, Rev. Kent Matthies and the Mariachi Maya
Come celebrate with upbeat ballads and music that makes you want to sing or dance (whether you speak Spanish or not)! As is often the case, science is catching up with ancient spiritual wisdom which says people experience increased resiliency and wisdom when they stay cognitively connected to relatives who have died. All are warmly invited to bring pictures of deceased loved ones to place on the altar and remember them together in Beloved Community.
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Sign Up for
THE MEN'S RETREAT!
Friday through Sunday, November 2 -4
The Twelfth Annual Men’s Retreat will be held at the Temenos Retreat Center near West Chester, PA
(
Temenoscommunity.org
).
Every man in the Philadelphia area is invited to attend and experience a wonderful weekend. Activities will include workshops, yoga, hiking, drumming around a bonfire, good food, poker, topped off with a Sunday morning worship service. Come get to know and bond with the other men in USG and in the Philadelphia area congregations. The cost for the weekend is $200. This includes Friday supper, three meals on Saturday and Sunday breakfast.
If you plan to come, please pay the $200 fee at the
Payment Center
on the USG website (
USGUU.org
). Please let Hal Krieger (
haroldkrieger@verizon.net
) know of your plans. Space is limited.
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Save The Date!
Join us for USG's 11th Annual Diwali Celebration, the Festival of Lights!
Saturday, November 10, 6:00 - 9:00pm
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And in case you missed these Spiritual Development events in Tuesday's SPIRIT...
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Progress! The concrete has been poured! The elevator's foundation is in!
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Interested in Joining USG?
We welcome people into membership four times a year. We ask that people take a
UU-101
class (offered monthly, next:
October 21
) and a
Membership Orientation
(offered quarterly, next:
November 4
) before joining. There will be a
New Member Signing
on
November 11
. If you are interested in any of these events or for more information, please email Welcoming Co-Chairs Treva Burger and Lisa Dutton at
welcoming@usguu.org
.
In addition, you can visit our
Membership page
on our website,
usguu.org.
Please note changes in dates above.
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Construction is Ongoing - Reminders
NEW FYIs:
Please stay on the
sidewalk
in the courtyard,
rather than cutting across the courtyard catty-corner to access the Sullivan Chapel.
During construction we plan to keep the
double doors to the Daskam Room
closed
most of the time. Entry will be through the single door to the right in the Edna Jones Room.
Courtyard parking is limited
to only those needing an accessible entrance. However, for those needing accessible second floor access, the
ramp into the Edna Jones Room is now also available.
REPEAT FYIs:
Please do not go inside the fenced-in area in the Grove. It is is a hard hat area
and access is limited to the construction workers.
Please look for signage about how to access the Sullivan Chapel.
The only access to the Sullivan Chapel wing is through the side door off the courtyard.
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Come Join the Choir!
The illustrious USG choir is looking for some additional singers! All that is necessary is the ability to match pitch and a desire to be a part of a venerable USG tradition that regularly rehearses (on Thursday evenings and on Sunday mornings) and sings at most Sunday services from September through the end of May. Interested? Please see
Mark Daugherty
, our music man.
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Building USG's Creative Teams
Do you enjoy telling stories with images? Working with PowerPoint or on a website? Are you a budding videographer?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, perhaps you would like to join one of our communications or worship creative teams. We are looking for...
1)
people who can work with Rev. Kent and the various guest speakers and worship associates on Sunday worship slides creation and/or projector operations, and
2) other people who can videotape the Sunday services, which Jeff Smith has done for many years, and
3) folks to help create and maintain information about our programs and activities on our website.
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We are excited to announce our new Give+ Text option for making pledge and contribution payments to USG!
Please
click here
to learn how to use this convenient tool.
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A form for your questions, comments & suggestions is now available at the Welcome table on Sundays and in the foyer where the name tags are.
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Thank You, Villagers!
Thank you to all who participate in hosting Fellowship Hour! If you are willing to coordinate for your Village, please let Treva Burger,
trevawb@gmail.com
know. Below is the schedule for
Fellowship Hour Hosting in October.
- October 14 - Village 10
- October 21 - Village 11
- October 28 - Village 12
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Remember to Vote on November 6!
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Rebuilding Together Philadelphia---
USG's Major Hands-on Service Project
Friday - Saturday, October 19 and 20
Get involved! Help rehab a home!
Join USG and RTP staff members in Philadelphia’s Kensington section. On Friday and/or Saturday, October 19-20, you can complete project tasks for one day or for both days. Whether you’re skilled or not, you will improve the neighborhood. Up to 20 other organizations will renovate homes within a few blocks of each other. While we work with the homeowners, we will hear their stories and learn of their challenges and resilience. You can be a part of this amazing effort too.
For more information about volunteering for this event, talk to USG's new RTP leaders
Barbara Ginn
and/or
George Buckmann
during Fellowship Hour.
If you’re 14 years old or older,
volunteer for either one or both days
by sending an email to Barbara Ginn at
bsginn56@gmail.com
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Say NO to Indefinite Detention of Migrant Children
The Trump administration has proposed a regulation that will permit children crossing the border with their parents to be put into detention indefinitely. More information is here in this
New York Times
editorial,
"Don't Let Migrant Kids Rot."
There is a quick, easy, and very important action that anyone can do:
Please protest these cruel new regulations by submitting your concern on the Federal Register's request for public comments - go to
regulations.gov and enter DHS Docket No. ICEB-2018-0002
.
We want to flood the comment board with our objections to this continuing persecution of immigrant families.
The above comes from UUPLAN's Action Alert
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Fall Food Drive - October and November
In this season of harvest, let’s remember those who need support. Please bring canned and non-perishable foods when you come to USG and leave them on the designated carts in the kitchen. Donations will be shared between St. Vincent de Paul's Food Pantry and the UU House Outreach Program, which provides support to older people in the Germantown area.
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UUPLAN's "Leadership Day 2018"
Saturday, October 13, in Harrisburg
UUPLAN (our PA Legislative Advocacy Network) brings together UUs from all over PA for a "Leadership Day" of presentations, discussions and reflections.
Two keynoters will exemplify the challenges of bringing our faith in the dignity of all into the arena of policy and legislation: Rev. Dr. Neal Jones of Main Line UU in Devon, and Rabbi Michael Pollack of March on Harrisburg and the Daring Democracy book tour of earlier 2018.
When UUs gather from across PA to reflect on our justice work, I have found new hope and inspiration: We are not at all alone -- just like us in Philadelphia, UUs in Pittsburgh, Erie, Harrisburg, Reading and in 30 other congregations are walking the talk of justice. The connections we build through UUPLAN allow us to rapidly communicate and coordinate, and to build relationships of trust and effectiveness.
I hope you will be able to join me on October 13th.
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Greater Philly UU Cluster Event
Filling Your Justice Toolbelt: A Hands-on Advocacy Workshop
Saturday, November 3, 2018
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Main Line Unitarian Church
816 S. Valley Forge Road, Devon, PA 19333
How can UUs make a more just and peaceful world? Find out at this legislative advocacy workshop. Join other area UUs in fellowship and learning as we explore strategies to get engaged at the member-level and congregational-level. Bring your experiences and best practice ideas to share with the group. Please register by
October 29
for planning purposes (e.g. refreshments, handouts, etc.) at:
greaterphillyuu.org/events/filling-your-justice-toolbelt/
Walk-ins accepted.
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Get Involved! Meet Fellow UUs!
Follow links below to find out more information about the events and groups at USG that occur usually once a month.
20's & 30's SGM Group
- Second Thursday, October 11, 6:30pm, Drop-in Young Adults Small Group Ministry group. For more information, please contact Stephanie Bonner at
slbonner2@gmail.com
or on Facebook where they maintain an active invite-only activities group.
CAMI (Citizens Against Mass Incarceration)
- Fourth Monday, October 22, 7:00pm. At USG. Contact
Nancy Anderson
.
Caregiver Support Group
- Second Friday, October 12, 11:00am - 1:00pm. At USG. Contact
Maura Gallagher
.
EarthSpirit Circle
. First Monday, except for holiday weekends. Next meeting November 5, 7:00pm. At USG. Contact Donya at
earth@usguu.org.
ERC (Ending Racism Committee)
- First Sunday, November 4, 12:00 - 1:30pm. At USG. Contact
Barbara Dowdall
.
Humanists - PUSH
-
Philadelphia Unitarian Society of Humanists
, Fourth Sunday, October 28, 12:00pm. At USG. Contact
Paul Teti
.
Nature Walking at Valley Green - Every Monday and Thursday at
9:00am, you can meet others - whoever shows up- at Valley Green in Chestnut Hill for a morning walk.
Point Person is
Steve Conrad, who is usually there.
Needle Exchange, a Handwork Group
-
First Wednesday, November 7,
1:30 - 3:00pm, off-site. Contact
Margaret Thompson
.
Open Small Group Ministry
- Second Sunday, October 14, 12:00 - 1:30pm. Those new to SGMs can get a "sample" before making a commitment. For more information, contact
Mark Bangela
.
UU-101
-
Third Sunday, October 21, 12:00-1:00pm.
UU-101
is an Introduction to Unitarian Universalism, held at USG, and childcare is provided. Please let a leader, Charles Gabriel or Eric Foster, know that you plan to attend by emailing to
uu101@usguu.org. If unable to email, you can call Eric at 484-347-8998.
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Join A USG Facebook Group!
You can join a USG Facebook group as well as meet in person!
To find out about special events, post photos, and stay in touch, here are some of USG's groups and their Facebook links:
ASD (Adult Spiritual Development) facebook
CSD (Child Spiritual Development)
YRUU (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) A Closed Group great to know about and if desired, ask to join.
YA - Young Adults
Greater Philly UUs - Social Justice & Other Greater Philly UU News
P.U.S.H. Philadelphia Unitarian Society of Humanists
Exploring Elderhood
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Our thoughts and prayers are with...
.
..all those in our congregation and beyond - especially all those affected by Hurricane Michael - who face challenges and need support. Please do not forget to notify our Caring Team if you have specific needs or happy news.
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Caring Team
Linda Bernstein (chair), Sarah West, Rev. Kent Matthies
If you are aware of any joys or concerns that should be part of our caring system, please let us know. You can email
caring@usguu.org
If you call a caring team member and do not speak directly, leave a voice mail and your call will be returned ASAP.
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Tuesday's
SPIRIT
(not every Tuesday in the Summer) - Friday by 3:00pm
Thursday's Weekly
eCommUUnicator
- Wednesday by noon
Sunday's Announcements
- Thursday by noon
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The Unitarian Society of Germantown
| 215-844-1157 | 6511 Lincoln Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19119
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