UUCGT FLASH NEWSLETTER

"A Celebration of Connectedness" is what Carolyn McDade, one of the water ritual's creators called it. She and Lucile Shuck Longview created the ritual in 1980 for a women's conference in Lansing, Michigan. Both women shared "a vision for justice and the environment empowering women instead of calling them to serve others. The water symbolized the birth waters, the cycles of moon, tides and women, and all the waters of this small blue planet. Each woman attending the conference was invited to bring a container of water with her. McDade recalls that "It was very moving, the women bringing water from places of spiritual importance."

This ceremony was also designed to demonstrate solidarity with women globally, as women the world over traditionally draw and carry water.

Join us this Sunday to celebrate our connectedness as we gather hope and inspiration for the coming year. Bring a container of water that is from a significant or sacred place. It can be rainwater, Lake Michigan water, or tap water. And then, renewed and refreshed by our collective stories and the joining of our symbolic waters of our lives we can go forth with joy and expectation allowing our combined energy, hope, and love to transform our lives and the world around us.

In peace,

Rev. Cathy

Sunday Service

10:30 AM - S unday, September 8 - R ev. Cathy Harrington

Amanda Mangiardi, coordinator

Resumption Sunday and Water Communion

Join us for Resumption Sunday! - a most cherished UUCGT Welcome Back tradition! Beloved hymns and inspirational readings to start off our new program year!

This year's Resumption Sunday Service will also include a Water Communion. Please bring a small amount of water from a special adventure over the past year.

Please join us for a Welcoming Coffee Hour after the service as we welcome each other and Rev. Cathy in our UUCGT community!

Children & Youth

Religious Education

Nursery care for infants through age 4 is available

Our Fall RE Program for PreK-5th grade and Youth (5th-8th grade) begins September 8! C hildren are asked to stay in the sanctuary with their family until after Story Wisdom and Children's Benediction.

We are looking forward to welcoming new and returning families for the 2019-20 year!

We will start our World Religions unit by taking a look at examples of sacred spaces from a variety of religions. Then the children will have a chance to build, collage, or draw their own special space. See you on Sunday!

OUR WHOLE LIVES (OWL)

Holistic Lifespan Sexuality Education

7th - 9th grade students

Parent I nformation M eeting

Sunday, September 8 at 4:30 pm

The RE program is offering Our Whole Lives for 7th through 9th grade students in the upcoming school year - October through April.

Record Eagle OWL article here: https://bit.ly/2yVJOYJ

Northern Express OWL article here: https://bit.ly/2k4lzUk

This program is open to all students in the community. If you know of anyone who may be interested, please pick up a brochure or flier from the RE classroom to share or download and print here.

Questions? contact Betsy Hammerberg or Katie Tomczyk

Our next quarterly distribution is in November.

We always welcome your suggestions and ideas.

Community Needs Request form

UUCGT Bulletin Board

Link to September Beacon here

~~ UU Vendors Wanted ~~

Sunday, October 20 & Sunday, October 27

A Craft, Book & Bake Fair on 10/20 & 10/27 from 11:45 am to 2:00 pm.

Do you have an Art or Craft that you'd like to sell?

If interested, contact Chris Lautz or call 860-884-7741.

Landscape Team News!

Meandering Path Party & Final Push

September 22 after Service

We'll do some final clean-up, lay boundary logs,

walk the Path & celebrate with cider & donuts!

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Wednesday Night Speaker Series

Katie Grzesiak, Invasive Species Network Coordinator

Wednesday, September 25 - 7:00 pm

Following our Wednesday Night Pizza Supper (vegan alternative available), Katie will talk about herbicides and their use, including the use of organic herbicides. Katie will also join us for dinner, so lots of time to chat and ask your own questions.

Here is Katie's 'blurb':

How deep do I dig? Which herbicide will work? Can I burn it? What about human health and the environment? Where can I turn for help?

Join us for an evening of exploration of invasive species control methods - from digging and cutting to herbicides and biological controls; home-made remedies to cultural changes. We'll explore what works, what doesn't, how ISN chooses between the many options, and how you can make invasive species control decisions for your projects.