Wednesday, April 28, 2021 |
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THIS SUNDAY'S
VIRTUAL WORSHIP SERVICE
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"The Stories We Inherit"
Rev. Sue Browning
UUCR & UUFE Zoom Worship Service
May 2, 2021
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The stories of a community or family are passed around as special forms of truth. Sometimes these stories are reminders of values and character. Other times they are warnings signaling what is to be avoided. At this service with Rev. Sue Browning we'll explore the power of stories as a path to change in our lives.
Join us by clicking the Zoom worship service link here on Sunday, May 2 before 10 am, immediately followed by UUCR & UUFE Coffee Hour. Please sign in by 9:50 am so we can begin the worship service promptly at 10 am.
If you have a joy or sorrow for the May 2 worship service, please share it during the UUCR & UUFE Coffee Hour or if you're not planning to attend, email the UUCR office at UUCR email by Thursday, April 29 at noon.
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Come Join Us for Coffee Hour |
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Please come join us for UUCR & UUFE Coffee Hour at 11:00 am, on Sunday, May 2 immediately following the worship service (continuation of the worship service's Zoom link.)
It's a time to see and talk to one another, and the next best thing to being there!
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This Week's
Worship Service
Last Week's
Worship Service
UUCR
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May 1 - Merry Month of May Celebration - see below for more info 🌸
May 2 - UUCR & UUFE Zoom Worship Service
May 9 - Mother's Day💐
May 9 - UUCR & UUFE Zoom Worship Service
May 16 - UUCR Worship Service
May 31 - Memorial Day
Jun 13 - Annual Congregation Meeting
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If you know of another link or event that should be added, please contact
the UUCR office by email or phone 410-778-3440. Thanks!
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Upcoming
Virtual Worship Services
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Sunday, May 9
"Remaking Our Stories, Remaking Ourselves"
Sometimes we need to expand or remake stories in order to grow into who we want to be. Robert Munsch's The Paper Bag Princess redefines what being a princess means. James Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me expands the way many of us were taught American history. Stories like these help us define in new ways what it means to be female or American or .... At this service with guest minister Rev. Cynthia Snavely, we'll consider how examining who we want to be means examining the stories we tell, and sometimes remaking them.
Rev. Cynthia Snavely has served congregations in Warrington, PA; Charleston, WV; Columbia, MD; Bowie, MD; and New Bern, NC. She is currently living in Frederick, MD and being grandmother to four boys.
- UUCR & UUFE Zoom Worship Service
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Quotes Relating to Services |
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“..what the next generation will value most is not what we owned, but the evidence of who we were and the tales of how we lived. In the end, it's the family stories that are worth the storage.”
― Ellen Goodman
“Telling our personal story constitutes an act of consciousness that defines the ethical lining of a person’s constitution. Recounting personal stories promotes personal growth, spurs the performance of selfless deeds, and in doing so enhances the ability of the equitable eye of humanity to scroll rearward and forward. Every person must become familiar with our communal history of struggle, loss, redemption, and meaningfully contemplate the meaning behind our personal existence in order to draft a proper and prosperous future for succeeding generations. Accordingly, every person is responsible for sharing their story using the language of thought that best expresses their sanguine reminiscences. Without a record of pastimes, we will never know what were, what we now are, or what we might become by steadfastly and honorably struggling with mortal chores.”
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*** PLEASE NOTE ***
Sometimes due to the length of Reflections, some sections are on a second page in some members' emails. If you don't see "END of REFLECTIONS for APRIL 21, 2021" at the very end of this email, you will need to click at the bottom where it says "[Message clipped] View entire message" (or something similar in whatever email service you use) to view the entire email.
Or, you can click immediately below this message.
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Having trouble viewing the entire email? Click here
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When Will We be Back to "Normal"?
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We are all anxious to be physically back together at our sanctuary, but are currently following CDC and UUA guidelines. We have found that the UUA guidelines are more cautious since they focus on the population of our congregations which may be older, hence more vulnerable. We certainly hope to be open for the beginning of the Church year in the Fall. If you are interested or concerned about this process, now is the time to have your opinion heard and understand how the decisions are made.
We are looking for input from people who may not have been involved in the Zoom and virtual services and are missing the comradeship of our community. We are particularly interested in creating an "Opening Taskforce" to define the needs and protocols for reopening the church, and are looking for church members to serve.
We currently have committees bringing you events where we get together outside and practice social distancing. We are always looking for help bringing these to you. There are plans to continue these events this Summer if there is enough interest.
Interested? Willing to help?
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We'll be waiting for you :)
David Biehler, UUCR Board President
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You are cordially invited to participate virtually in, |
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JUSTICE DAY
In Pursuit of Racial Equity
in Chestertown, MD
MAY 15th, 2021 3-4:45 PM ET
To listen and/reflect on our shared histories of racial inequality and terror with the purpose of reconciliation,
justice and equity for all, hosted by
the James Taylor Justice Coalition of Sumner Hall
via Zoom ( click here) and live Facebook streaming. No registration needed.
Event Speakers:
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Sherrilyn A. Ifill, is the President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), the nation’s premier civil rights law organization fighting for racial justice and equality. She is also the author of On the Courthouse Lawn: Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the 21st Century.
Nowhere is the challenge of confronting the past greater than in those [Eastern] Shore [of Maryland] counties where lynching occurred. Sherrilyn A. Ifill
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Savannah Shepherd, an 18-year-old college freshman and social justice activist. She led a process working closely with the Equal Justice Initiative and the State of Delaware to create a Social Justice Remembrance Coalition (DSJRC), to acknowledge past incidents of racial terror in order to raise awareness today.
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Other speakers include Larry Wilson, President of Sumner Hall and Co-Chair of the JTJC who will provide an overview of the vision and mission of the James Taylor Justice Coalition. Ruth Shoge, First Vice President of Sumner Hall, will introduce the 2021 JTJC EJI High School Essay Contest for Kent County. John Queen, Co-Founder and President of Bayside HOYAS and Chairman of the Black Union of Kent County, will kick-off a summer book club reading of Sherrilyn A. Ifill’s book On the Courthouse Lawn: Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the 21st Century.
Four thousand, seven hundred and forty-three (4,743) lynchings occurred in the United States of America between 1882 and 1968. James Taylor, an African American, was lynched in Chestertown, Maryland in 1892, steps from the courthouse lawn.
The James Taylor Justice Coalition (JTJC) has a singular focus and a defined mission. Aligned with the Equal Justice Initiative’s (EJI) Community Remembrance Projects, to shine the light of truth upon the lynchings that occurred in the U.S. Only by telling the unvarnished truth about our past can we begin to address the injustices that continue against people of color in the U.S. today. Our goal is that, armed with truth about the
past and knowledge of the present, the people of Kent County and the Eastern Shore of Maryland will seek to undertake the changes in our society necessary to insure justice and equality for all.
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Social Concerns/Social Justice |
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Bayside HOYAS Outreach Collection
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The Social Concerns/Social Justice Committee’s fourth outreach collection for this year will be closed out this week on Friday, April 30. We thank everyone who has contributed already to this vital organization for local youth, and we encourage everyone who hasn’t made a donation yet to do so (see directions below).
The Bayside HOYAS, an acronym for "Helping Our Youth Achieve Success," is a youth program which targets young men from the ages of 11-17 to help them better themselves in school, home, and community. Their mission is “to promote academic excellence, positive character development, and civic responsibility among secondary school age youth and young adults in Kent and Queen Anne’s counties, Maryland.” They work to achieve this mission through educational enrichment, mentoring, leadership training, health promotion, and public service projects with youth of limited opportunities. Founded by Paul Tue, Pierre Tue, and John Queen in 2013, the organization provides a wide range of programming, which includes academic counseling, community service projects, youth leadership summits, outreach to families in need, and athletics. Since 2019 they’ve operated a resource center (UUCR’s former office on Cross Street), which provides the young people a place to drop in, socialize, plan events, or seek counseling and resources.
You can contribute by sending a check to the church office, made out to UUCR specifying "Bayside HOYAS Outreach Collection" in the memo line, or you can donate online at the church website using the "Donate" button (click here) and "Custom Amount", specifying "Bayside HOYAS Outreach Collection" in the comment section. Any questions, please contact Amy Warner, co-chair of the SC/SJ committee at [email protected]. Please make your donation by Friday, April 30th.
The committee thanks all members and friends for their very generous support of the outreach collections for this church year.
Amy Warner
Co-chair, SC/SJ Committee
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The Social Action Committee for Racial Justice is hosting a discussion of Isabel Wilkerson’s book “Caste: The Origins of our Discontents.” A Zoom study group is scheduled for three Wednesdays in June: June 9, 16 and 23, from 4-5:15 p.m.
Wilkerson explains, “caste is the granting or withholding of respect, status, honor, attention, privileges, resources, benefit of the doubt, and human kindness to someone on the basis of their perceived rank or standing in the hierarchy.” (See a brief interview with Trevor Noah here. )
It’s BYOB -- Bring Your Own Book – but SACRJ will have a few copies to lend. A shorter summary of “Caste” is also available to participants upon request.
The discussion will be led by Carol Dobson and Charles Taylor. If interested, contact them at [email protected].
NOTE: Our goal is to achieve a racially balanced discussion group, so if you wouldn't mind, please indicate your race in your reply. Thank you!
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Pastoral Care and Connection |
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We are here for you! We will focus on staying directly connected with our members and friends, especially those who may need assistance or support. The caring teams from our congregation is staying in touch, but if you need to reach out, please be in touch with any of the contacts below to stay connected (and see additional contacts below for RE families).
Please know your congregation is here. We can help you find connections. Please don't hesitate to reach out and let us know what is helpful for you in this time.
Rev. Sue Browning, and the Pastoral Care Associates: Kevin Brien,
Gayle Folger, Nancy Holland, and Vida Morley
or for more information, contact:
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APRIL BIRTHDAYS
6 - Stan Salett
7 - Tom Tontarski
9 - John Ramsey
13 - Amy Warner
16 - Connie Schroth
17 - Jim Lavin
22 - Elisabeth Tully
30 - Kim Agee
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We want to help celebrate your birthday! If we didn't include your birthday, please contact Darlene at UUCR office email
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Unitarian Universalists of the Chester River 914 Gateway Drive, Chestertown, MD 21620
Phone: (410) 778-3440
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END of REFLECTIONS for APRIL 28, 2021
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