Sunday, November 17, 2024 - 10 a.m.

Service: "Living a Life of Gratitude as a Sanctuary People"

Sermon: "Gratitude in the Time that is Given to Us"

Join us for our Thanksgiving service led by Rev. Kathryn. Bring a Gratitude ready to share as we ponder how do we live gratitude? What does gratitude look like when we are facing hard life and world events? Where do we ground in our gratitude? Our faith has a tradition of witnessing and being a sanctuary people, as our UUA President, Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt, recently shared with us. Let us gather in gratitude for community, each other, our ancestors, both past and present, and the time that is given to us.

Plan to stay after the service for fellowship and "seasonal nibbles."

• Rev. Kathryn Adams, Minister
• Annie Lavin, Worship Leader
• Michael Casey, Musician
• Nancy Holland, Greeter
• Joy Kim, Coffee Host

Please CLICK HERE to join us via ZOOM.

This week's hymn numbers:

• "We Gather Together" — # 349 (grey hymnal)
• "Oh We Give Thanks" — # 1010 (teal hymnal)

December 01 | "The Practice of Presence in Anticipation and Community" — In-person & Zoom

December 1^st will be both the First Sunday of Advent and World AIDS Day. At first blush, these may seem to have nothing to do with each other. In December our theme will be presence. For Advent, the invitation is to join the story of creation and await the coming of Christmas with stillness, quiet, and prayer or meditation with various personal rituals. World AIDS Day honors the over 32 million people lost to AIDS, per the CDC, the experiences of those affected by AIDS, and celebrates the 40 years of progress in the diagnosis and treatment. The call this year is for "Collective Action: Sustain and accelerate HIV progress." Join us for a reflection on presence as a spiritual practice, a social justice practice, and more.

• Rev. Kathryn Adams, Minister
• Nancy Holland & Connie Schroth, Worship Leaders
• 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
• Minister's Column
• Bread & Dessert Makers Needed!
• Adopt-a-Family Gift Tags Available this Sunday
• Calling All Singers!
• Congratulations CPR & AED Training Participants!
• Tickets for our Soup Sampler Supper Fundraiser — Dec 13
• CVMA Interfaith Thanksgiving Service — Nov 24
• Volunteer for the UUA General Assembly 2025 in Baltimore
• African-American Debutante Exhibit Celebration — Nov 30
• Birthdays

Beloveds,

I am looking forward to being with the community this weekend, Nov 24^th, for both our service and the Interfaith service starting at 3pm. I am grateful to the colleagues who have been writing for Faith Matters for the Kent County News and have invited me to contribute in rotation. My first article should publish today, Nov 21^st. I talk about the journey from loss, through gratitude and generosity, to (where appropriate) pre-forgiveness. This is taught by Kathy McGowan, a leader from the UUA Southern Region. I find this practice brings me joy as I interact with the people I love who also may not be their best right now.

What else can we do? We can subscribe to UUSJ (Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice) and support the actions as they are called for through the email list (CLICK HERE for November 18 email). These resonate with our values of Justice, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Interdependence, and Generosity. UUSJ is a powerful ministry, and as UUs in the national capital area, we have access to more opportunities to engage. 

Another option, for those of us with space to offer, is to consider joining the Pink Haven coalition. As our beloveds flee legislatively unsafe states, they may need a place to stay for a night on their journey. This resonates with the history of our tradition. Today is one day after the Transgender Day of Remembrance. Let us celebrate that trans people are divine every day.

Through it all, we will also practice being beloved community. Being a place of welcome, love, and joy. This is a time for living our values, nationally, locally, and everywhere. I am grateful to do it with you. 

Beloveds,

The need for our community is and will be great. Linked is a message from the UUA Executive on Preparing for Sanctuary. If any of these resources or trainings speak to you and you would like to bring them to our community, please reach out to Rev. Kathryn.

We have our soup makers, but need more bread & dessert makers for our Soup Sampler Supper fundraiser on December 13^th. Please contact Jane Hardy at janewhardy@gmail.com

if you can help. THANKS!

The UUCR Social Justice Committee is again inviting you to participate in our annual Adopt-a-Family Holiday Program through the Kent County Department of Social Services. Gift tags with names and gift suggestions will be ready this coming Sunday in the lobby. Please note that wrapped gifts with the name tag you choose must be returned to UUCR by Sunday, December 8^th.

If you are interested (or think you might be interested) in singing in a UUCR Choir, please join us on Sunday, December 8, following the service. We will meet to assess if there is sufficient interest in forming a choir and hopefully explore rehearsal logistics and music. If you have questions or are interested but cannot attend the meeting, contact Nancy Holland or Michael Casey.

The photos show the work; the trainer, Sandy Hypes, is a pro, and you won't believe how much we learned! We also had some fun with dark humor and gorey details. These basic skills are the #1 way we, family, and friends, can SAVE a LIFE! Please consider a donation to the Chester River Community Foundation (https://umcrhf.org/donate/ ) as a thank you for this free community education training!

Feast on Ten Soups,

a Variety of Breads & Desserts,

and Coffee

UUCR FUNDRAISER — OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

To assist with planning, please pre-purchase your tickets.

Please contact Jane Hardy, janewhardy@gmail.com.

Join Us for a Q&A Session About Volunteering on the

GA 2025 Local Area Task Force

Are you interested in helping make the UUA General Assembly 2025 in Baltimore a success? We're looking for passionate volunteers to join the GA 2025 Local Area Task Force, and we'd love to answer your questions about getting involved!

You’ll learn about the benefits of volunteering at GA as well as the various volunteer teams that comprise our Local Area Task Force.  

Date: Sunday December 1, 2024

 Time: 3:00 PM to 3:45 PM

 Zoom link to register in advance:

https://uua.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwuduiqrDMsHNOs_oAmGqzl0AEvXHGJ_2El

This is your chance to learn more about the roles available, the impact you can make, and how your skills and enthusiasm can help create a welcoming and dynamic experience for attendees.

Whether you're ready to sign up or just curious to learn more, we encourage you to join us. Your contributions can make a big difference in ensuring a successful and meaningful GA!

While these calls are specifically focused on GA 2025 volunteer opportunities, general questions and feedback can be sent to generalassembly@uua.org.  

Please Register by clicking on the Zoom link above.

We hope to see you there!

NOVEMBER

02 | Kathy Lee

18 | Jan Brandon

24 | Diane Shields

29 | Paula Hubbard

DECEMBER

07 | Pat Bjorke

08 | Lynn Donahue

We want to help celebrate your birthday!

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