UUCGT  Flash 
April 25, 2019
Vol. 13, Issue 583
 
In This Issue
Reflection
Sunday Service
Contra Dance @ UUCGT
UUCGT Bulletin Board
Spring Clean-Up!
Social Justice
UUCGT Calendar
Job Posting - Director of Religious Education
YARD SALE
End Note...
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Congregational Vision


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We are a Congregation creating a better world by nurturing the heart and expanding the mind.

We provide a safe, caring community where all can freely explore diverse religious thought. 

We work for justice and equality with the power of compassion and compassionate power.
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Reflection...

In the spirit of celebrating the blended diversity that defines the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse as the blessing that it is, I offer to you the longer version of the meditation that will be part of this Sunday's service. My hope is that you find within these lines a surprise or two, either by recognizing yourself, or seeing another in a new and different light.
 
In hope and faith,
Rev. Beth
 
A Bouquet of People

Let us give thanks for a bouquet of people.
We give thanks for children. Like tulips and iris, they multiply around us, making the world ever more filled with color, beauty, and new life. May we bless them as they replant themselves ever further from us, knowing that they need their own space to grow into.

We give thanks for generous friends, as constant in bloom as Echinacea and whose gifts lift up our body and spirit.

We give thanks for feisty friends as indomitable as geraniums,
and for continuous friends, who, like bittersweet and ivy,
hold on and never let go...and can never be gotten rid of.

For crotchety friends, as prickly as rosebushes; their beauty a secret that is only discovered through careful gardening.

For surprising friends, who  at first glance seem dour and then blossom into joy as quickly as forsythia.

For funny friends, silly as snapdragons,
And serious friends, complex as chrysanthemums.

For comfortable friends, their gentle presence as soothing as the sweet smell of lilacs.
For stormy weather friends, who stand by us in hard times, like lily of the valley that cannot be deterred by shade or shadow.

For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening-time
And young friends coming on fast as phlox.

For friends as unpretentious as dogwood,
as persistent as pachysandra,
as steadfast as azalea,
and who, like snowdrops, can be counted on to see you through the winter and remind you that spring always comes.

For loving friends, who wind around us like wisteria and embrace us, despite our blights, wilts, and witherings,

And, finally, for forget-me-not friends, gone but never forgotten. Their beauty lives on in our memories and hearts.

For this bouquet of people, who brighten our lives each in their own way, we give th anks.
Amen.


Note: this prayer is modeled after a well-known and much-cherished prayer by the late Rev. Max Coots.

Sunday Service 
Sunday, April 28 - Rev. Beth Marshall
Mary Van Valin,  coordinator
10:30 AM:   "Seeds of Hope, Seeds of Change"

As the ground thaws, and the gardeners among us begin to contemplate what to plant, it is a good time to consider the metaphorical seeds we plant in our lives and in our community as well.
 
Children and Youth Programs this Sunday
PreK-5th grade and Youth (5th-8th grade) programs are available; and Nursery child care for infants through age 4. Children please remain in the sanctuary until after the Children's Benediction.

Please note: Rev. Beth is available for appointments & conversation
Contact Rev. Beth at  minister@uucgt.org  or  office@uucgt.org  to schedule a meeting time during her next visit at UUCGT, May 10 - 19.


CONTRA DANCE at UUCGT!

RSVP to Hal Gurian today!
(see phone number below)


UUCGT Bulletin Board 
 
check mark Adult Religious Education / UU 101 Class with Rev. Beth - Friday, April 26, 10:30am - Everyone is welcome!
check markGreeter Ministry: Greeters are needed for May!
If you are interested, please sign up on the bulletin board by the office.
check mark UU Men's Group: Monday, May 6, 5:30pm, Minervea's - Pick-up articles in the front entryway
check mark  Save the Dates!
Sunday, May 12 and May 19 from  9:00-10:00am
Adult RE Classes with Tony Wilgus, "Spiritual Exercises for the Unenlightened". S ee April Beacon for more information
check markTour the American Waste Recycle Plant: Wednesday, May 22 at 11:30am. There is a 30 minute presentation and a 30 minute tour.  Participants need to RSVP the UU office 231.947.3117. Wear comfortable shoes, but no sandals.There are 3 sets of 10 stairs.
If you are interested in a tour, but unable to make this date, call our office and let Susan know to put you on an interest list and we will see about scheduling a second tour. Tour days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday at 11:30am.

"If it can't be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production." -   Pete Seeger

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Local Community Needs

! Landscape & Facilities  Work Bees !

Join us  to spruce up the grounds to get ready for summer!
Bring a lunch, work clothes, TOOLS!

Sunday, May 5, 12:00 - 2:00 pm
(quiet tools, rakes & tarps needed)

Sunday, May 12, 12:00 - 4:00pm

Sunday, May 19, 12:00 - 4:00 pm (after Potluck!)

Sunday, May 26, 12:00 - 4:00 pm

If you have questions, please contact Lauren Keinath at 342-0617


"Democracy dies in darkness."
Whether you agree or not with the presented conclusions, the full Mueller report should be made public. 
Please sign the petition asking that the full, unredacted report be released to Congress -  https://bit.ly/2GBEiyU   Thank you!

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Social Justice Team Meeting
Sunday, April 28 after service

Together we can do great things
Emmy Lou Cholak, Co-Chair UU Social Justice

UUCGT Calendar of Events

To schedule all meetings and events, contact  office@uucgt.org  


- Stretch & Strengthen: Monday & Wednesday @ 11:00a.m. Be Fit - Be Strong! Everyone is Welcome!




- SokukoJi Buddhist Community Meditation: Tuesday, April 30, 6:30-8:30pm, meditation room

- Endowment Committee: Wednesday, May 1, 5:00pm, library

- Wednesday Potluck Supper : May 1 , 5:30pm - Bring a dish to share









NEW JOB POSTING AT UUCGT
Director of Religious Education (ages 5 - Youth)

Great opportunity for someone with experience or coursework in education, child development or social work! The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse is a congregation devoted to creating a better world by nurturing the heart and expanding the mind. We provide a safe, caring community where all can freely explore diverse religious thought. We work for justice and equality with the power of compassion and compassionate power.  

To apply: Please send cover letter, resume and 2-3 professional references to  office@uucgt.org No calls please. 
UUCGT does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental ability, genetic predisposition, ancestry, or national origin.  $18.00/hour - 10 hours per week - 52 weeks per year
Application deadline: May 5, 2019

Job Description
Administrative
  • Makes a list of the families that have completed registration forms
  • Seeks out families who have yet to complete registration forms
  • Makes a list of volunteers who have completed background check
  • Creates RE feedback form and box
  • Ensures that staffing is in place for each Sunday.
  • Provides leadership and training (if needed) to teaching staff
Personnel
  • Oversees the Nursery (pre-school) program.  (We understand the nursery pretty much runs itself, but they need a "go-to" person if they have questions and this should be the RE Director)
  • Communicates with the Minister regarding the RE Program
  • Evaluates teachers, along with the RE Committee, and annually recommends retention or replacement
Marketing & Outreach (this could be a separate task paid to an individual as a stipend)
  • Spreads the word about our RE plans (OWL, etc.) via Facebook, connections to other organizations, etc. Create Facebook/Instagram/Twitter posts at least three times per week
  • Creates programming brochure for welcome table
Communication with Parents and Congregation
  • Writes brief RE news for the Flash and Beacon
  • Prepares Annual Report to the Board
  • Serves as the "Go to" person for problem-solving and conflict resolution between parents, teachers and church attendees should the need arise
Curricula
  • Researches and oversees curricula that meet the goals of UUCGT and RE committee (OWL, Teaching Tolerance, Nonviolent Communication, UUA, Neighboring Faiths, Coming of Age).
  • Oversees and reports on programming in all classrooms (monthly feedback to be given to the RE Committee)


SATURDAY, JUNE 8
9:00 - 3:00
We're cleaning out the basement and welcome your "good" household items!

Help is needed!
Set up - Friday, June 7 - 1:00 to 4:00
Sale Day - Saturday 9:00 - 3:00

Contact Jolynn Paige at 409-2050


End Note...

"Inspire others every day"...

...seems like a pretty big ask.
I mean, sometimes just inspiring ourselves to do
the laundry or take out the trash seems like
more than enough. 

But who can say what aspects of our lives might be inspiring others without our even knowing it?

- from Daily Compass

  

UUCGT office hours
Mon day - Thursday
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Closed Friday

(231) 947-3117        office@uucgt.org          www.uucgt.org