Thursday, December 23, 2021 |
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TONIGHT'S
EVE OF THE EVE
CHRISTMAS SERVICE
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"Eve of the Eve Christmas Service"
Rev. Sue Browning
UUCR Members
Philip Dutton, musician
In-Person and Online Worship Service
Thursday, December 23, 2021 | 7 pm
On December 23, at 7 pm we will hold our traditional service — well, as traditional as we can in these times. We will have an evening story and connection and will end with Silent Night. Rev. Sue Browning and members will lead the service and music will be provided by Philip Dutton.
The service will be available in person and on Zoom. For those attending in person, we will follow our UUCR Covid protocols. All attending will be required to wear a mask for the service.
So we can begin the worship service promptly at 7 pm, please arrive at the sanctuary (if attending in person) or sign into Zoom ( click here) by no later than 6:50 pm. Thanks! |
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This Week's
Worship Service
Previous Worship Service Recordings
UUCR
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DEC 23 | Eve of the Eve
Christmas Service
7 pm
In-Person & Online
Rev. Sue Browning
UUCR Members
Philip Dutton, Musician
DEC 26 | No Worship
Service in any format
JAN 2 | Worship Service
In-Person & Online
Rev. Sue Browning
Marilee Taussig, Service Leader
JAN 9 | Worship Service
In-Person & Online
Leika Lewis-Cornwell, Guest Speaker
Vida Morley, Service Leader
Nevin Dawson, Musician
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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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Sunday, December 26 — No Worship Service in any format
Sunday, January 2 — In-Person and Online
"Becoming Better or Becoming Ourselves?"
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.
- Rev. Sue Browning
- Marilee Taussig, service leader
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Mixing Covid and Christmas
"Bah Humbug!" This phrase comes to mind as I read the never-ending headlines about the omicron variant. "Bah Humbug" conveys “curmudgeonly displeasure.” It captures a sense of contempt, disgust, and disillusionment. For all things Covid, it feels about right.
I am reassured by health experts who explain that with vaccines, boosters, testing, masks, and better treatments, we can continue many activities so long as done with care. And too, this spike means we're still continually sorting through personal risks and making choices. Like many, I had hoped we were nearer to the end of Covid. So, yes, "Bah Humbug!"
Yet Ebenezer Scrooge used the term "Bah Humbug" a bit differently. He was grouching about his specific dislike of Christmas, including its celebrations and festivities. My hope is we’ll resist the temptation to let the pandemic define the season for us. I hope we won't be Scrooge.
Christmas and the season’s holidays may offer the comfort and joy we need. On the long nights we’re offered unique stillness, an opportunity for quiet reflection. The story of Jesus’s birth helps us imagine the potential in new life and unknown possibilities. The full holiday season, complete with decorations, lights, and food (the festival parts!) can help move us toward generosity and needed connections.
In the midst of what can be bleak times, we need the spirit of the holidays, especially this year. Maybe this year, some parts of the season's traditions will touch your heart more deeply than others. Maybe this year your holiday traditions will need to be adapted, again. My hope is you'll seek out what provides you comfort, or joy, or reassurance in the rituals and traditions of the holidays.
The challenges are real, and too, the spirit of the season is real.
Merry Christmas all,
Rev. Sue
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If you don't see "END of REFLECTIONS for December 23, 2021" at the very end of this email, you're not seeing the entire email. To view it to the end please Click here
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Social Concerns/Social Justice Committee |
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Thanks to your incredible generosity, we delivered 25 gifts to a family of six in Kent County, plus gift cards to Kent and Queen Anne's County Department of Social Services valued at more than $500 for needy families during the holidays. In addition, in support of our growing partnership with Kent Attainable Housing, we were able to provide a gift card for the Jones Family to help them celebrate the holidays as they transition to their new home in Worton in January.
Thanks for making our first Outreach Collection of the new church year such a success!
Thanks, Lynn D.
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UUA Disaster Relief
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:
- Damage to congregations’ buildings, and relocation to temporary locations
- Damage to members/friends homes, and relocation expenses
- Donations to local partner organizations that serve the community at large, particularly those who would not be eligible for other funding.
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) .
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Leadership Development Committee |
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Think of leadership and volunteering here at UUCR as the following:
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.
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Pastoral Care and Connection |
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You are encouraged to share your joys and sorrows with the UUCR Pastoral Associates (see below). This team is a mixed group — but all have had previous life experiences and a variety of professional training in counseling and philosophy. Please contact one, or several of us, if you “want to talk.”
Pastoral Care Associates: Kevin Brien,
Gayle Folger, Nancy Holland, and Vida Morley
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DECEMBER
7 - Pat Bjorke
7 - Pat Kobes-Gomez
8 - Lynn Donahue
9 - Carol Dobson
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We want to help celebrate your birthday! If we didn't include your birthday, please contact the UUCR office by email (click here). |
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Unitarian Universalists of the Chester River 914 Gateway Drive | Chestertown, MD | 21620
Phone: 410-778-3440
Office hours: W - Sa, 8:30-10:30 am |
Su, 8:30 am-noon | Closed, M & Tu
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END of REFLECTIONS for December 23, 2021
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