THIS SUNDAY'S
VIRTUAL WORSHIP SERVICE
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"Seeds of Being:
On Truth-Tilling and Seeds as Sacred Text"
Guest Speaker, Ms. Cassie Montenegro
UUCR & UUFE YouTube Worship Service
May 23, 2021
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In a world where so many of us feel compelled to “do” rather than “be,” what does it mean to sow the seeds of being? Given all the demands of Zoom and modern life, as the world continues to open up for many of us this Spring, to what extent can silence and rest factor into our own lives? And what would it mean to the ecology of our communities if they did? Join us, and guest speaker, Ms. Cassie Montenegro, Master of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School (for bio click here), in an exploration of who we might continue to become together if we allowed ourselves more time to “be.”
This worship service will be available on UUCR's YouTube Channel by Sunday morning (click here).
If you have a joy or sorrow for the May 23 worship service, please share it during the Coffee Hour.
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Come Join Us for Coffee Hour |
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Please come join us for UUCR Coffee Hour at 11:00 am, on Sunday, May 23 on Zoom ( click here).
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
This Week's Coffee Hour
Last Week's
Worship Service
UUCR
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May 22 - International Day for Biological Diversity 🌎
May 23 - UUCR & UUFE YouTube Worship Service
May 30 - UUCR & UUFE Zoom Worship Service
May 31 - Memorial Day
Jun 6 - Worship Service
Jun 13 - Worship Service
Jun 13 - Annual UUCR Congregation Meeting,
11 am (Zoom)
Jun 13 - Flag Day
Jun 19 - Juneteenth
Jun 20 - Worship Service
Jun 20 - Father's Day 🏆
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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 30
"Loss and Grief"
Everyone experiences losses. Every community experiences losses. Do Unitarian Universalists have anything unique to offer on loss and grief? At this service with Rev. Sue Browning we'll consider where we might find support as we navigate our paths through loss. This service will include our annual ritual of remembrance to honor losses in our congregations this past year.
- Rev. Sue Browning
- UUCR and UUFE Zoom Worship Service
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Guest Columnist:
David Biehler, UUCR President
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Continuing Pay It Forward
I am following up on Pat Bjorke's very eloquent description of the benefits a Pay It Forward philosophy has for our congregation and our relationship to one another. This certainly was a heart-warming article. Thanks, Pat. Pat's words come at a very opportune time as we transition to a team of new officers and new members participating.
We also might be thinking about UUCR, as a member of the Chestertown community, paying it forward to the community. We have reaped the benefit of the generosity of one Mr. Peter Tapke, who started a "paying it forward" chain by supplying the funds that enabled us to purchase our property and a good start toward being mortgage free. There might come a time when we have the opportunity and good fortune to continue that chain. More to come in the coming weeks.
In case one thinks that someone else will make that payment, here is a quote from Carl Sagan's book, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space.
“Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.”
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The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of Earth taken Feb. 14, 1990, by NASA's Voyager 1 at a distance of 3.7 billion miles from the Sun.
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Sagan comments on what he sees as the greater significance of the photograph, writing:
"Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every 'superstar,' every 'supreme leader,' every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."
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Sue's Vacation
Sue will be on vacation May 7-23. If there are matters needing attention, please check with Board President, David Biehler (click here); Office Administrator, Darlene Wiggers (UUCR office email or office phone 410-778-3440); Caring/Pastoral team (contacts at end of this email) or other leaders. Sue will be available in case of an emergency.
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If you don't see "END of REFLECTIONS for MAY 20, 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 |
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Outreach Collection for Bayside HOYAS |
The April Outreach Collection for the Bayside HOYAS yielded $355. We’re deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to support their efforts to support youth in Kent and Queen Anne’s County.
Amy Warner and Lynn Dolinger,
Co-chairs Social Concerns/Social Justice Committee
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Imagination Library Outreach Collection
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"The Gift that Speaks Volumes for our Community's Future."
We are happy to announce our newest Outreach Collection, Imagination Library, which will run through the month of May. Started in 1995 in Tennessee by vocal artist and philanthropist, Dolly Parton, this program sends bi-lingual books once a month to any child, birth to five years, free of charge, regardless of income, to prepare them for school. Kent County introduced the program in 2014 with 439 graduates to date and currently serving another 450. The Mid-Shore Community Foundation manages program funds. While the Dollywood Foundation provides the infrastructure for the program and supplies the books, the local program is responsible for enrolling eligible children and covering the costs of shipping and a percentage of the book costs. You can contribute through the donate button on the UUCR website by writing "Imagination Library Outreach Collection" in the comment section. You can also send a check made out to UUCR to the church. We hope that you will continue your generosity by considering a contribution to this successful and valuable program in Kent County. You can find more information about the program at imaginationlibrary.com or contact Lynn Dolinger, lynn.thirdwish@gmail.com.
Thank you on behalf of the Social Concerns Social Justice Committee
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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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MAY BIRTHDAYS
9 - Lynn Dolinger
10 - Tom Lippincott
10 - M. Q. Riding
14 - Rachel Perry
18 - Nancy Holland
27 - Harry Hart
28 - Betty Kerr
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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 MAY 20, 2021
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