This Week at First Universalist

Join us this Sunday

March 25, 2018

New Member Sunday

10:30 am Morning Service: Y oung and Old (and So On) Together . This service, including a Child Dedication and Teacher Recognition, will celebrate our diversity as a community of different ages, different skills, and different worship styles.

—Rev. Peggy Meeker and Rev. Michelle Yates

9:15 am Drop-In Discussion: Justice and Accountability. Community activists are striving to create a Police Accountability Board, which will be responsible to the community and not the Rochester Police Department, and sufficiently powerful to conduct meaningful investigations of police misconduct. Shirley Bond will present information and lead a discussion.

Upcoming Events

Caring Committee

The promise of spring comes to our sanctuary each Easter Sunday. Please sign up in the Clara Barton Lounge after the service to purchase a colorful addition of flowers to our worship. You may dedicate or honor someone with your purchase. A listing will be included in the order of service.

Cozy Night Supper

March 23rd at 5:30 pm

Guest speaker and Western New York's Coordinator of Rural & Migrant Ministry, West Cosgrove, will lead us through a presentation and reflection on immigration. We will look at various immigration issues from a political perspective, as well as from an economic, moral, and faith perspective. You can sign up on the Court Street bulletin board or contact Kathy Russell via office@uuroc.org to reserve your spot. Seats are filling fast.

March for Our Lives

Come to Washington Square Park this Saturday, March 24th, at 3:00 pm to take to the streets to demand an end to gun violence and mass shootings in our schools.

Membership Opportunity

If you’re a friend or visitor at First Universalist and would be interested in learning more about us, please consider attending our Path to Membership class this Saturday, March 24th, from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. If you wish to join our congregation, there is a New Member Ceremony scheduled for Sunday March 25th, and we would welcome your participation. Please see or email Rev. Meeker ( minister@uuroc.org ) if you’re interested.

UU Common Read Book Discussion

Tuesday, March 27th

We meet on Tuesdays March 27th, and April 10th at 6:30 pm in the Chalice Room. Please join us to reflect on Daring Democracy: Igniting Power, Meaning, and Connection for the America We Want , by Frances Moore Lappe and Adam Eichen. This book is available through the church bookstore and library. Please RSVP to Rev. Michelle Yates at edu@uuroc.org .

Passover Seder

Our Passover Seder will be held in the Clara Barton Lounge on March 30th at 6:00 pm.

It will be a UU edition of the traditional family event with song and story in English and Hebrew and will include active participation by children school-age and above, and a potluck dinner served around 7:15 pm. Traditional ritual foods and beverages will be provided. All guests are welcome! For those planning to attend, volunteer help, or for more information please contact Lew Ward-Baker, via office@uuroc.org .

Stewardship 2018

Thus Do We Covenant: It’s Stewardship Time! Watch your mailbox as members and friends of the church will soon receive a stewardship packet in the mail. We’ll be pledging financial support for our church for the 2018 - 2019 fiscal year. Please fill out and return your pledge card by Stewardship Sunday, April 8th, when we’ll celebrate with our traditional Pie Festival during coffee hour! If you don’t receive the mailing, extra stewardship materials will be available here at church. Please see Stewardship Co-Chairs Richard Reed or Ann Rhody with any questions. Thank you!

*RAIHN Week - April 15-22

* R ochester A rea I nterfaith H ospitality N etwork

Second Level RAIHN* Training is Coming Up! Have you volunteered for RAIHN and attended our Volunteer Orientation? Would you like to learn more about issues our families face that shape their experiences, such as culture, trauma and poverty? Please attend this interactive discussion with other volunteers as we increase our understanding about our guests' lives and share our own RAIHN stories and experiences on Thursday, March 22nd from 6:30 pm until 8:00 pm at Asbury First United Methodist Church, 1010 East Ave, Rochester. RSVP at (585) 506-9050 or coordinator@raihn.org .

During RAIHN Week, April 15th - 22nd , we will turn our church into a home for temporarily homeless families by converting our classrooms into bedrooms, cooking meals, staying overnight, and providing other help. To join our volunteer team, sign up in the lounge or contact Chris DeGolyer via office@uuroc.org . If you would like to learn more before volunteering, ask about "shadowing" experienced volunteers.

Additional Announcements

2018 SEAWAY UU SPRING GATHERING: This is the event that used to be known as DA. It will be held Friday and Saturday, April 13th - 14th, at the First UU Society of Syracuse. The theme is “You Can’t Spell Church without J-O-Y.” Come hear First Unitarian’s Sheila Schuh present the Gould Discourse, and enjoy worshipping, learning, and connecting with UUs from around the state. For more information see: https://www.uua.org/central-east/events/region/2018-cer-st-lawrence-seaway-spring-gathering.

CHURCH LIBRARY AND BOOKSTORE: Books for Browsing, Borrowing and Buying. The First Universalist library and bookstore are open each Sunday during coffee hour. We have a lending library, a discount bookstore, a free children's bookshelf, a free magazine exchange, and sometimes free books.

I MPLEMENTING AN AED PROGRAM ( A utomated E xternal D efibrillator): Your friend next to you has just fainted and is now turning blue! What will you do next? Call for help or "Be the Help"? By taking the A utomated E xternal D efibrillator classes coming soon, your friend might be around to thank you. Signing up is not crucial, attending the class is. We need everyone. For more information see You Tube videos. To be part of the emergency team please contact Janine Casillo via office@uuroc.org .

EMAIL SCAMMING: There have been several recent email scamming attempts targeting email addresses at the church. Please assume that any incoming email message asking you to send the church’s money (or your own!) anywhere might be fraudulent. Do not reply to such a message, or click on any internet links appearing in the message; instead, forward it to suspicious@uuroc.org and delete it from your in-basket. It will be reviewed to determine whether any follow-up is needed. Thank you!

THURSDAY LUNCHTIME EASTMAN AT WASHINGTON SQUARE CONCERTS: These concerts are held every Thursday from 12:15 pm to approximately 12:45 pm. Brown bag lunches are welcome during the performances, and admission is free. For more information visit www.esm.rochester.edu/community/events/lunchtime .

TRANSPORT THE HOMELESS: Would you like to drive homeless folks to and/or from appointments? REACH Home (102 North Union St, Rochester) staff and social workers set it all up, but need drivers. If you'd like to volunteer as a driver, contact Jeannie Gloss via office@uuroc.org . Many thanks!

REMEMBRANCE QUILT PROJECT: The Remembrance Quilt Project highlights the loss of life by gun violence, with an invitation to contribute a block of fabric to represent the family or friend whose life has been taken by gun violence. Now through March 31st. For more information contact Lentory Johnson, chairperson, at (585) 749-3494, The Light the Way Committee.