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Online Zoom ONLY Worship Service

What is the price of democracy? Would I be willing to pay it if the price were dear? How can I prepare myself to pay that price if I were called upon do so? This service challenges us to consider our commitment to the UU principle of democracy as it manifests in our personal lives, in Unitarian Universalism, and in the public square.

This will be a joint Zoom service of the Unitarian Universalists of the Chester River and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Easton. Closed captioning is now available for Zoom worship services and meetings. Please see the directions below if you wish to use this feature. 

So we can begin the worship service promptly at 10 am, please sign into Zoom (click here) by no later than 9:50 am. A virtual coffee hour will immediately follow the service.

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

Please come join us for a joint UUCR/UUFE Virtual Coffee Hour at 11:00 am, on Sunday, January 23 immediately following the worship service (continuation of the worship service's Zoom link).

Sunday, January 30 — Online Zoom ONLY (Jointly with UUFE)

At Coffee Hour after the service on MLK Sunday we discussed ways we might further engage in voting rights. Below is the summary I agreed to provide. Other ideas? Please forward them to me or the social justice groups and we’ll share what we learn.

— Sue

"Our Time is Now" (published June 2020) by Stacey Abrams.

In my sermon (1/16/22) I referred to this book, which provides a thorough assessment of our electoral system. For those interested we will have a UUFE/UUCR discussion of this book and opportunities to address voting rights on Sunday, Feb. 20 from 4 – 5:30 pm (on Zoom). The link will be provided closer to the date. The book is available in several formats (printed book, ebook, audio) at local libraries or for a reasonable price online.

Members Stan and Liz Salett pointed those interested in elections to the Reeb Project Voting Rights, coordinated by All Souls Church Unitarian, Washington DC. The website notes, “The Reeb Project for Voting Rights is dedicated to increasing voter participation. We work in solidarity with other UU congregations and progressive partner organizations that center the leadership of people of color, work in communities with historically low voter participation, and advocate for changes to oppressive voting laws.” To learn more go to - Reeb Project.

This UU group is active in voting rights matters. This group offers many ways to engage. The page on their website on Voting Rights is UUSJ Voting Rights. (And check out the rest of their website on other social justice issues UUSJ Home Page.)

Philip Dutton (UUCR) noted that the "Your Vote, Your Voice" effort from 2020 has been folded into the work of the League of Women Voters (League of Women Voters - Kent County). (Also check online for other LWV groups across the Eastern shore.) Martha and Jim Richardson (UUFE) also have local contacts for those interested in voter registration and related actions.

Today's request is short. I'm hoping many - of all ages and stages - will participate.

Is this a question you can answer? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please email me your answers and if you'd like, include a bit of the "why" of your answers. I'll be incorporating the responses in the service, with or without sharing your name (your choice). For children and others, drawings are welcome.(Email: sue.browning2@gmail.com.)

Closed captioning is now available for UUCR Zoom worship services and meetings. Please follow the directions below to use or disable this feature.

When first joining a Zoom meeting (or service), you will see a black menu bar at the bottom of the meeting screen like the one in the example immediately below. To enable closed captioning, move your cursor to the far right at CC above Live Transcript (shown below circled in turquoise).

Using your cursor, click on the caret (upward pointing arrowhead shown here circled in turquoise) and a window will open up like that shown to the right above the caret. Initially, the first option will read Show Subtitles (where Hide Subtitles is shown in this example) and if you want the closed captioning subtitles click on it. The subtitles will now appear in a translucent black box at the bottom of the Zoom meeting window. If you wish to move the location from where the subtitles are displayed, hover over them with your cursor and drag them to the preferred location on your screen.

To turn subtitles off, click on the caret again, and it will say Hide Subtitles as in the image above, click on it and the subtitles will disappear from the meeting screen.

To adjust the subtitle font size, click on the Subtitle Settings (the last option of the window that opens when clicking on the caret) and a window like the one shown in the example above will appear. Using your cursor, go to the sliding scale shown circled in red, and move the blue dot to the font size you desire.

To View Full Transcript click on the second option in the window that opens when clicking on the caret and a transcript side window to the right of the meeting screen will open (alongside the chat screen). This will now display the full service/meeting subtitles in real-time with the speaker's name and timestamp within the transcript window.

If you don't see "END of REFLECTIONS for January 20, 2022" at the very end of this email, you're not seeing the entire email. To view it to the end please Click here

The UUCR Committee on Ministry (COM) functions as a resource group for the minister, congregational members, and committees, focusing on the health of the congregation’s shared ministry. COM serves as an impartial observer of congregational life, helping UUCR function well and helping us live into our mission. We encourage healthy ways to communicate between individuals and across committees, the board, and the congregation. We respond to concerns and conflicts at any level within UUCR, as well as the processes for identifying and resolving them. COM is the committee that conducts regular assessments of the minister, performs evaluations of the overall ministries of UUCR, and provides feedback to the board.

We are a group of congregants that cares for our ministry to one another, particularly during these challenging times of Covid, when our communal ministry is looking and feeling so different. We are gathering and connecting in new ways, learning and changing as we move forward. COM members are here to listen, observe, and support as we experience new and old ways of creating community and our ministry together.

Please be in touch with one of us – Lynn Geisert, Annie Lavin, John Ramsey – if you would like to be heard, ask questions, or need support.

chestervalleyministers.org. You can also make a contribution online through CVMA to benefit nonprofits in the community in honor of Dr. King's work. Questions, please contact Lynn Dolinger  lynn.thirdwish@gmail.com.

Our Public Relations, Outreach, and Communications Committee continues to look for ways for our congregation to “connect” non-electronically during these strange times, and we’d like to recreate our Great Valentine’s Cookie Giveaway for 2022. February 14 falls on a Monday this year, so handing out or delivering cartons of cookies on the Sunday afternoon before V-Day sounds like perfect timing! As usual, we need volunteers, so please let us know if you would: 

There’s a concept that has been introduced in a few newsletters/blogs that are out on the internet called "Gentle January." The idea is after the hectic holidays it is good to ease into the new year without putting too many expectations on yourself. Instead of making New Year's resolutions, consider how you would like to do things (anything) in the coming year.

This practice is a form of personal development. Looking ahead and giving yourself time to think through what could be, without judging yourself, creates an opportunity to be successful.

The Leadership Development Committee encourages you to think of all of the possibilities that can enhance your life. Our church community is one, have you thought through how much it means to you?

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

Gayle Folger, Nancy Holland, and Vida Morley

11 - Vida Morley

12 - Ralph Dolinger

13 - Melinda Lippincott

14 - Dianne Turpin

14 - Judy Graham

20 - Al Mathwich

22 - Clark Bjorke

29 - Zoe Panas

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