Embracing a free and responsible search for truth and meaning while demonstrating our strong belief in the interdependent web of all existence.

MARCH 2023

Although spring doesn’t officially arrive until March 21, we are already seeing beautiful buds and blossoms giving us a glimpse of the spring to come. It feels good to be entering a time of renewal. It also feels like a time of renewal for our congregation. We are beginning to bloom again with folks coming back to in-person services more and more, while we continue to meet the needs of those who still need to Zoom (for a variety of reasons.)

We recently had a wonderful Coffee House event with many community members joining us. We will do this again! And, we are getting more involved with a variety of community activities once again, including participation at First Friday in Brunswick. Hallelujah! This month is chock full of good things going on. And, we are so fortunate to have our “snowbirds” with us as well. It’s good to be together.

Please take time to read this newsletter and mark your calendars. Invite others to join us. Rejoice! Spring is arriving and we at UUCG are renewing our spirits!

Peace, Love and Joy!

Jane

For information about our IN-PERSON SERVICE please see our Covid guidelines below the service descriptions OR at uuacg.org.

If you prefer to attend online, the service will be offered at this Zoom link:

uuma.zoom.us/j/479-325-3254

March 5

"Who Am I?"

Rev. Jane Page

Rev. Jane continues her series on "Big Questions" with a message exploring Identity. What is our core identity? How does our identity change as we age? Come explore these and other questions with us!

ANTHEM: You Raise Me Up

March 12

"Braiding for Sweetgrass"

Martha Dismer

Martha Dismer will do a presentation on the book, Braiding for Sweetgrass. Sweetgrass is one of the four sacred plants of the American Indians. it s considered to be the hair of Mother Earth and is treated with much respect. Kimmere's book combines indigenous wisdom and scientific knowledge. The book is about reciprocity between humans and plants. A video of Kimmer's presentation to a group of women writers will follow the introduction.

ANTHEM: All Creatures of the Earth and Sky

March 19

"And What of Death?"

Rev. Jane Page

Rev. Jane continues her series on "Big Questions" by exploring ideas about death. What do varying religions, philosophers, and cultures believe about death. How do we positively prepare for death?

ANTHEM: To My Old Brown Earth

March 26

"Bridging the Binary: Love/Fear"

Beth Sutton

We often think that love and hate are binaries, but instead, Beth will offer love and fear as a more useful and accurate binary.

ANTHEM: Abide With Me

Covid

We do monitor the level of Covid-19 cases in our area and now have a system in place to post on the door the current mask requirement in our building. We appreciate everyone abiding by these guidelines when in our building.

We are held together by our covenants with each other. In UU congregations covenants (or sacred promises we make to each other) are so important and the UUCG Board started our year by developing and then voting on a Board covenant which is now on the website. Many UU congregations have created covenants for the whole congregation -- where we state clearly and caringly how we all work with each other and how we all nurture our beloved community. I have loved UUCG from the moment I walked in the door over 10 years ago -- the people and the smiles and the love that people expressed for this community was so beautifully apparent.

The UUCG Board discussed at our last meeting how valuable a UUCG Covenant of Right Relations would be to have posted so everyone who comes through our door today sees in writing the promise we make to each other about how we work together to create an intentional and caring community. Check out some samples on the Unitarian Universalist Association website: https://www.uua.org/files/pdf/c/covenant_right_relations.pdf. Let a board member know if you would like to help with this process of making explicit our values for working together -- so people can not just experience our culture of caring, but read and understand it and join right in!

UUCG Board of Trustees

Beth Stevenson

Mari Perla, Sarabeth Sutton, Beth Sutton, Vickie Monti, Peggy Lee, Dona Barth

Don't forget to join the Children's RE Facebook group!

We have a Facebook group to help us communicate with all of those interested in our Children's RE. If you have children or are interested in helping out with our Children's RE, please join our group. You can search for UUCG Children's RE OR you can just click on this link to go to that page and request to join the group!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/532644695565432

Membership Team at Downtown Brunswick's First Friday - THIS Friday, March 3

Come out and join UUCG at downtown Brunswick's first Friday on March 3! We will have a booth and pass out free UU principles bookmarks, have brochures about our own church and UUA at hand, and we even have a strategy to bring folks in.

We are looking for people who would like to stand/sit at the booth to answer questions.

If we have several people, we could break into shifts. Let Carolyn ([email protected]) or Denise ([email protected]) know if you would like to help. Otherwise, just come on down and support us and enjoy first Friday!

If you wish to become a member of UUCG,

please contact our membership team leader Carolyn Wallace at [email protected].

Greeters Needed

Do you have a warm smile to share? Consider becoming a Greeter to welcome congregants and visitors. Contact Denise Anderson at [email protected]

Creating the Beloved Community at UUCG -- Get Involved!

• Childcare Teacher -- This is a paid position for someone to look after our youngest children every Sunday. This is a great job for a high school or college student! Please have interested people contact Beth at [email protected] or Rev Jane at [email protected].

• Social Justice Activity Volunteer -- Our wonderful Circle of Trees curriculum also has a social justice/community action project built in -- and it can include the entire congregation. We are looking for someone to take the lead and explore the community needs and come up with a simple project that we can do and have all ages participate.

Contact Rev. Jane at [email protected].

• Zoomer for our Tech Team -- We need a volunteer (or two!) who will take a turn being in charge of Zooming the service from the sanctuary. Simple task and Kim Merck will train and support you -- and this is part of simplifying our technology while we keep our services accessible for all. Contact Kim at [email protected].

• Maintenance/Handyperson Volunteer -- Looking for someone to help with some general repair and maintenance of our building. If you can help with repairing our sign or replacing some boards that are rotting or figuring out the electrical issues for the lights in our upstairs room contact June Sherwood ([email protected]).

Better Listening at Church

Good News

New federal law removes the high cost of hearing for people over 60. Up ‘till now, hearing aids were costly. Congress has passed a law allowing hearing aids to be sold over the counter at about one-third the cost. Now more people will buy them and enrich their lives with better and meaningful sound.

But Beware

Not all hearing aids will work with our church hearing loop system. If you or your partner are thinking about buying hearing aids, be sure to specify “hearing loop compatible.” This means that the instrument must have a Telecoil device installed internally before you purchase. In most cases, this device and its installation are free.

Will a Telecoil Make a Difference?

The answer is “yes,” according to the Mayo Clinic and others. Telecoils work in hearing-looped meeting rooms such as the St Simons Casino Room 108, auditoriums, airports, and churches worldwide.

What to Do?

From my 60 years of experience with hearing aids, I suggest you start looking early. Interview a few audiologists, get a baseline evaluation, then learn more about the fast-changing market for hearing devices. Then choose your path, whether it’s non-prescriptive, online direct, or with an audiologist/dealer.

Myron Waldman

The local American Cancer Society is holding their Annual Relay for Life on March 31. If anyone is interested in leading a UUCG presence at the event, contact Beth Stevenson ([email protected]). Whether we decide to have a formal UUCG presence or not, everyone who is a caregiver or cancer survivor is welcome to attend and participate in the opening ceremonies or buy a luminaria in honor or memory of someone you love affected by cancer.

Relay for Life of Glynn County

March 31st, 2023 from 6pm-10pm

Mary Ross Waterfront Park (Bay And Gloucester Streets. Brunswick, GA)

Opening Ceremonies at 6:30pm, followed by Survivor & Caregiver lap

Luminaria Ceremony at dark

www.relayforlife.org/GlynnGa

SPARROW'S NEST FOOD LIST

SPARROW'S NEST AMAZON WISH LIST

SOCIAL JUSTICE TEAM LEADER

Kim Merck 912-580-7029 | Email: [email protected]

UUs attended the "All Voting is Local" National Teletown Hall Meeting on February 23 to support the Arbery family on the 3rd anniversary of Ahmaud's murder. Diane Jackson and Rev. Jane were part of a panel discussion with the Transformative Justice Coalition in Washington, DC.

Click on the image to view (or print) a copy of these directories.

Sunday, March 19, 2023 at 9:00 a.m.

(The special Adult RE Zoom Room information is below.)

Join an intellectually challenging and fun conversation with a

group of ardent readers.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

by Isabel Wilkerson (Random House, 2020)

“Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people’s lives and behavior and the nation’s fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people—including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball’s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others—she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their outcasting of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.” Amazon, 2/19/23