Sunday, May 04 — 10 am

"Imagine Possibility"

This is our flower communion.* Today, I invite us to imagine the fecundity of flowers. How many millions of seeds can come from each flower. Seeds can grow in the most unlikely of places. Seeds hold our heritage and take them into an unspecified future. Today, let us explore what imagining possibility looks like for us.

*This weekend is our flower communion! This is a Unitarian Universalist tradition that originated with Maya and Norbert Čapek as a celebration of a beauty larger than ourselves, and a love that outlives us. You are invited to bring a flower this weekend and celebrate beauty and love.

https://www.uua.org/worship/words/reading/story-norbert-capeks-flower-ceremony

• Rev. Kathryn Adams, Minister
• Connie Schroth, Worship Leader
• Michael Casey, Musician
• Eileen Kessler, Greeter
• Joy Kim, Coffee Host

Please CLICK HERE to join us via ZOOM.

This week's music:

• "Years Are Coming" #166 (grey hymnal)
• "Touch the Earth and Reach the Sky" #301 (grey hymnal)

MAY 11| "My Life Flows on in Endless Song to Hail a New Creation"

— In-person & Zoom

We gather together in worship this Sunday—bringing with us all the joys and sorrows of our hearts, of our communities, and of the world—to reflect on and to honor the complex work of mothering. As a people of faith, what mothering work does our shared set of Unitarian Universalist values compel us toward? As a people of covenant, what nurturing gifts might we offer to each other and to the world, such as it is, in celebration of this Mother's Day? With great care, and as collective co-laborers with the Divine, we can actually birth the longed-for Beloved Community into existence... Imagine that!

• Adrian Graham, Aspirant to Unitarian Universalist Ministry,

Guest Speaker

• Annie Lavin, Worship Leader
• Michael Casey, Musician

MAY 18 | "Oneness Ever Unfolding" — In-person & Zoom

The Sikh tradition offers “Ik Onkar," a phrase at the heart of the Sikh faith—which means "oneness ever unfolding." Valarie Kaur guides us through this beautiful faith tradition, inviting learning and an exploration of oneness in her recent book, Sage Warrior. May the deepest understanding of oneness, that all are part of the one, invite trust into this moment and those to come.

• Rev. Kathryn Adams, Minister
• Jan Sprinkel, Worship Leader
• Michael Casey, Musician

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• This Week's Worship Service
• Upcoming Worship Services
• This Issue's Contents
• Helpful Links, Office Hours, Upcoming Events Calendar
• Notice of Ministerial Review
• Annual Meeting Info Emailed on Friday, May 2
• From Your Social Justice Committee
• Summer Session Book Discussion Pre-Read
• UUA General Assembly in Baltimore — June 18 - 22
• Senior Cat Looking for a Home
• Birthdays

Rev. Kathryn Adams has been our half-time minister this year, building connections with the congregation, exploring our history, developing individual relationships, and becoming a voice in our Chestertown community. UUCR’s Committee on Ministry (COM) will be reaching out to the congregation to obtain feedback as part of our Ministerial Review process. Ministerial Review forms will be distributed following Sunday services in the next two weeks and will also be sent via email. We invite you to share your thoughts and return the forms.

On Friday, May 2^nd, an email will be sent from uuofchesterriver@gmail.com to all members of UUCR. The email will contain the agenda and background information for the Annual Meeting, scheduled for May 18^th after our church service. 

On Sunday, May 4^th, M.Q. Riding will be available in the library, before and after the service, to answer any questions members may have about the information. 

The May Social Justice Committee work will be focused on LGBTQIA+ topics and opportunities. We have a Family Diversity Project Exhibition to share with you as well as more specific activities to help us prepare for PRIDE month in June. Begin sharing and reading our common read book

Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families

Interviews by Peggy Gillespie

Photographs by Robin Rayne, Gigi Kaeser, Jill Meyers, and others.

Five copies to share will be available at church beginning Sunday, May 4. Please pass it on to another UUCR member when you have finished.

August 3^rd Summer Session with Deb Reid—discussion of the book The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk. “An epic novel set in 21^st-century California about love and war, body and spirit, freedom and slavery, and the future of human life itself.”

This is a fictional novel that so clearly represents where we are today as a human race… as we struggle in a world that is a mix of hope, compassion, and love but also oppression, violence, and greed. I read this book 20 years ago, and it still impacts me today. It helped to inform how I want to approach living in this world and how to heal all the areas where we harm ourselves, each other, and the earth. Should lead to some interesting conversations about the power of combined action, possibilities, and where reality intersects with hope.

There are three copies to be shared amongst those who are interested, and a sign-up sheet for borrowing will be on the whiteboard.

We invite you to join us for the 2025 UUA General Assembly in Baltimore and/or online from June 18-22—a chance to connect, reflect, and build a future that meets this moment with purpose and courage. This year’s theme, “Meet the Moment,” calls us to engage with the evolving challenges of our world, exploring fresh ways to deepen our faith and respond boldly to our mission. Across five days of powerful worship, insightful workshops, and community-building experiences, we’ll find inspiration together, reconnect with friends and colleagues, and return to our congregations renewed. Join us in person or online to be part of this transformative experience, where every voice matters and our shared vision grows stronger. GA Registration is still open for both online and in-person attendees.

You can find the program schedule, information about worship leaders and the Ware Lecture and workshop information at the GA website.

A congregant is currently guardian for a loving, affectionate, 16-year-old male cat whose owner recently passed away. They are looking for a loving home for this guy to spend his final years, preferably sitting in your lap. The cat is healthy, AND his guardian is willing to pay all vet bills for his lifetime. If you’re interested or have questions, see the contact posted on the whiteboard.

MAY

09 | Lynn Dolinger

10 | M.Q. Riding

18 | Nancy Holland

27 | Harry Hart

28 | Betty Kerr

29 | Sydney Brookes

We want to help celebrate your birthday!

If we didn't include your birthday, please contact the UUCR office by email