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"The Enduring Beauty of the Longest Night"

So we can begin the worship service promptly at 10 am, please arrive at the sanctuary (if attending in person) or sign into Zoom (click here) by no later than 9:50 am. Thanks!

If not attending the service, please submit "Joys and Concerns" and "Announcements" in advance by emailing them to the UUCR office (click here) by 9 pm Saturday or share them in the Zoom chat.

Thursday, December 23, 7 pm — In-Person and Online

Sunday, December 26 — No Worship Service in any format

Sunday, January 2 — In-Person and Online

What does it mean to live with intention? Is living an intentional life the same as living a goal driven life? At this service led by Rev. Sue Browning we'll begin the new year considering how we might make room for our lives to unfold with intent and grace in 2022. 

If you don't see "END of REFLECTIONS for December 16, 2021" at the very end of this email, you're not seeing the entire email. To view it to the end please Click here

Thanks to all of our Members and Friends who have responded so generously to our annual Holiday Sharing collections, both through gifts and funds. If you still want to contribute funds, you can do so by Sunday, December 19, online or in person. For those of you who are donating gifts, please remember to have them wrapped and marked with family #6, as well as the gender and age of the recipient. Gifts need to be dropped off at the church by Sunday, December 19, or contact Lynn Dolinger if you need a pick up. 215-872-5773 or lynn.thirdwish@gmail.com.

On behalf of the Social Concerns, Social Justice Committee, Happy Holidays to All!!

Thanks, Lynn D

While there are many organizations providing relief for the Midwest tornado victims, if you want to give through the Unitarian Universalists Association, there's information that can be found on the UUA website at giving.uua.org/disaster-relief.  The UUA Disaster Relief Fund "allows the UUA to respond flexibly on your behalf to tragedies that overtake us." 

With your donations, UUA is able to provide assistance to congregations, their members, and their communities. Some of the expenses Disaster Relief Fund grants can be used for are:

You can visit the UUA Disaster Relief Fund (click here) to donate online or to find other ways to donate. If you want to research other nonprofit organizations for donations, there are two internationally recognized resources that evaluate the impact and effectiveness of donations, Charity Navigator (click here) and Guidestar (click here).  

Generosity, willingness to give your time to others.

Understanding, because their lives might be very different from your own.

Empathy, the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and try to feel what they must feel.

Compassion, to truly care about making someone else's life better.

Patience, because the process doesn't always go as smoothly as it might.

Dedication, to stick with it and see whatever it is through.

Very best, Amy, Diane, & M.Q.

Unitarian Universalist communicator and creative arts-activist Carl Lindemann has just published an illustrated story book, Santa Soaked: a Story for All Ages — a rhyming, rhythmic, interfaith, inclusive twist to the turn in Santa's story as his Arctic home melts. It is a call to action for youth empowerment and climate justice.

Santa Soaked is an invitation for a long-overdue talk between generations.

Readers like you can download the free eBook below for education, reflection and a conversation opener with family and friends. Plus, you can find out how to bring a Santa Soaked storytelling workshop to your congregation or community! Enjoy!

Ending Qualified Immunity for Police creating a Zoom discussion series to following the viewing of “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr.” on HBO Max.

* On June 19, 2020, Governor Jared Polis signed The Police Integrity Transparency and Accountability Act, also known as Senate Bill 217 (“SB217”) into law, effectively ending police qualified immunity in Colorado. Read SB20-217 - https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb20-217

Register for the December 22 Zoom discussion here or live on Facebook @ RaceTalkRevolution. We look forward to seeing you for another informative and inspiring conversation!

Antiracism Alliance training schedule and registration for December and January are posted here.

For your information, The Washington Post of November 9, 2020, had an interesting article (link here) on coping with love and loss by Zibby Owens entitled — "After losing two loved ones to Covid-19, I turned to books. Here are 15 titles that helped me cope." Included in the list is Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself by our First Lady Jill Biden. Another book Vida feels is worth examining (not on the list) is by UUCR member Marilee Taussig entitled — Old Enough: Making the Years Between 50 and 75 the Best Chapter of Your Life.

Gayle Folger, Nancy Holland, and Vida Morley

7 - Pat Bjorke

7 - Pat Kobes-Gomez

8 - Lynn Donahue

9 - Carol Dobson

We want to help celebrate your birthday! If we didn't include your birthday, please contact the UUCR office by email (click here).