WEDNESDAY, December 2, 2020
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Minister's Column
A Final Check-In Call on Our Personal Commitments to Ending Racism – Tonight - Wednesday, December 2
at 7 pm on Zoom
The murder of George Floyd in May 2020 drew many to the streets in protest. This summer we could feel the potential of a turning point, and at the same time we knew then that for meaningful change to take root, we would need to stay committed to the long-term work of ending racism.

To help sustain the momentum of these early summer actions, in July I began offering a monthly call for members and friends to check in with one another on their personal commitments to end racism. The calls have been opportunities to encourage one another, knowing that it is easy to be distracted or discouraged.

Tonight, December 2, at 7 pm, will be the last in this series of calls. All are invited to come to tonight’s call and reflect on the ways our commitments to ending racism have impacted our lives during these last six months, and to share our hopes for the future.

Join the Zoom Meeting by clicking here.
 
Thanks to all who have joined the calls to date. In the new year, we can assess what feels most helpful to members in their work to end racism.  

Rev. Sue
THIS SUNDAY'S VIRTUAL SERVICE
Sunday, December 6,
Sana Saeed, UUA,
"Finding Balance: Reflecting on Emptiness and Abundance"
For this service our guest minister Sana Saeed will use storytelling to explore the areas of life where we may feel empty in life and where we feel abundance during this time of pandemic and the holiday season. We’ll explore Buddhist ideas on finding balance in life when it feels overwhelming.

To view this service (it will be uploaded by Sunday morning), click here to go to the UUCR's YouTube channel. You may also go to the church's webpage, uuchesterriver.org, and find the service by clicking on the tab at the bottom of the "Keeping In Touch" column on the left side of the page.

If you have a joy or sorrow for the December 6 service, please share it during Coffee Hour or if you're not planning to attend, email the UUCR office at UUCR email by Friday, December 4 at noon.

ABOUT THIS WEEK'S SPEAKER

Sana Saeed is the Congregational Life Staff for the Central East Region of the UUA. Sana graduated in May 2018 with her third graduate degree, a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School (HDS). She also has a M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University and a M.A. in Peace Studies from the International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. Born in Manchester, UK she moved to the USA when she was sixteen. As a dual citizen, she grew up in a multilingual Pakistani home with the fortune of learning Urdu, Punjabi and English. Her upbringing inspired her love for traveling. Hence, she has traveled to thirty-one countries so far. From 2013 – 2015 Sana lived in Tokyo, Japan as a Rotary Peace Fellow. Her research took her to Yangon, Myanmar to document ethno-religious tensions between Burmese Muslims and Buddhists, which was published in the book, Practical Approaches to Peacebuilding: Putting Theory to Work in February 2016.

She became interested in Unitarian Universalism, after being hired as a Director of Youth Ministry for the UU Church of Arlington, where she frequently was asked the question, “What is a Muslim doing working in a church?” Since then, she’s been immersed in UU communities. She was the President of Diverse Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM), a collective of UU Black, Indigenous, People of Color from 2019 – 2020. Professionally, she’s had 13 years of experience working with youth development, religion- and peace-building, interfaith dialogue, and leadership and conflict resolution with multiple organizations, including the UU Ministers Association, University of Pennsylvania Interfaith Alliance, and International Organization for Migration (IOM) amongst others. Sana loves coffee, chocolate, pizza, Pakistani/Indian food, and meeting new people.
Join Us for Coffee Hour on Sunday!
Come join us for a time to see and talk to one another. It's the next best thing to being there!

Click on the Coffee Hour Zoom Link at 11:00 am this Sunday.
DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS

Pat Bjorke, Dec 7
Pat Kobes-Gomez, Dec 7
Lynn Donahue, Dec 8
Carol Dobson, Dec 9

We want to help celebrate your birthday! If we didn't include your November/December birthday, please contact Jan Whitney at UUCR email

UPCOMING VIRTUAL SERVICES


Sunday, December 13,
Rev. Sue Browning, Virtual Service, And the Days Get Shorter Still"

Sunday, December 20,
Rev. Sue Browning, Virtual Service, "Communicating with Santa"
From Children's RE Program
Winter Coat Drive
Thanks to your generosity, 15 adults are now facing a warmer winter with a new coat to begin their recovery from drug addiction. Thank you for your support!

Pat Bjorke
From UUCR's Social Concerns/Social Justice Committee
Holiday Sharing Miracle
This congregation's generosity continues to amaze! As of last count, the members and friends of this congregation have contributed $1233 to address the unprecedented needs in our community. So much so that the Social Concerns/Social Justice Committee is looking beyond the Kent County Department of Social Services holiday program to distribute some of these funds to supplemental food programs, such as the Community Food Pantry and the Feed the Elderly and Children's program administered by the Social Action Committee for Racial Justice. We're also seeking opportunities in Queen Anne's County where many of our members live.

We will provide a final report when all funds are counted and distributed. Please share our gratitude for your generous response in bringing joy to our community when it is so desperately needed.
From the PROC Committee
Volunteers Needed!
The PROC (public relations, outreach and communications) committee needs assistance in addressing and distributing our new member directory, which is coming soon. Please email Jan Whitney at uuofchesterriver@gmail.com, or call 410-778-3440 and leave a message, if you can help.

Also, PROC is assembling a task force to look for ways to better connect our beloved community during this stressful time — perhaps forming small support groups? Let us know if you have ideas; contact PROCC chair John Ramsey at johnramsey48@gmail.com or Jan Whitney at uuofchesterriver@gmail.com, 410-778-3440.
Save the Date - December 18 from 5 pm:
Party Time!
Stay tuned for more information about a gathering to celebrate the season.
From the Green Sanctuary Committee
Annual Environmental Book Read
Join the Green Sanctuary in our annual environmental book read! We will be reading As Long As Grass Grows by Dina Gilio-Whitaker and discussing it in February, most likely on Zoom! This book is available on Amazon new or used as well as at the library. BookPlate is another source that is always accommodating. Happy reading and I hope to see you in February.

“Through the unique lens of “Indigenized environmental justice,” Indigenous researcher and activist Dina Gilio-Whitaker explores the fraught history of treaty violations, struggles for food and water security, and protection of sacred sites, while highlighting the important leadership of Indigenous women in this centuries-long struggle. As Long As Grass Grows gives readers an accessible history of Indigenous resistance to government and corporate incursions on their lands and offers new approaches to environmental justice activism and policy.

Throughout 2016, the Standing Rock protest put a national spotlight on Indigenous activists, but it also underscored how little Americans know about the longtime historical tensions between Native peoples and the mainstream environmental movement. Ultimately, she argues, modern environmentalists must look to the history of Indigenous resistance for wisdom and inspiration in our common fight for a just and sustainable future.”

Kim Agee
Shopping Online This Christmas?
Your Purchases Can Help UUCR!
Go to the link on the UUCR webpage here and enter either Amazon or IGive to make your purchases; .05% of what you spend will end up in UUCR’s coffers. Yes, it’s only a half-cent on the dollar, but these “ha’pennies” turn into dollars and then into scores of dollars.

Happy shopping!
Last Sunday's Virtual Service
From Sunday, November 29,
Bob Clegg,
"Unitarian Universalist Survival, Relevance, and Meaning in the 21st Century"
The UUA's Commission on Institutional Change published the report of their 3-year study this year, which was overwhelmingly approved at the UUGA in June. What is the message of this newest in a history of UUA commission reports? Does it differ in substantial ways from reports that came before? We will look at the challenges of this report, the demands it makes of us, and why it may hold the key to the survival of Unitarian Universalism and its relevance to society.

Deep gratitude for Words and Music from Bob Clegg, Annie Lavin, Carol Meredith, Eamon Peach, Ellen Barry Grunden, and Brian & Thomas Owens. Our grateful thanks as well to the Tech and Communications Team of Jim Lavin, John Ramsey, Don Barker, Bozena Lamparska, Jane Hardy, Dave Moore and Jan Whitney.
UUCR on Facebook
IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW ...

Unitarian Universalists of the Chester River now has two Facebook pages. Our original UUCR Facebook Page now has a new look. This is thanks to Kate Livie, of Alosa Communications. (Click the image below to go to our original UUCR Facebook Page.)

  • Frequent posts are desirable not only because they keep our page updated with fresh content, this new content is carried forward into our followers’ newsfeeds. That’s an example of the interconnectedness of all things. We want our page to reflect a balance of news and information, not skewed too much in one direction. So far the bulk of our content is about upcoming services, ideas for family activities, and our work on racial justice. It would be helpful if we could expand our postings into other areas.

  • Pat Bjorke has been posting from UU World about Unitarian Universalism so that folks not familiar with us will get some idea what we're about. 

  • Pat has also been posting her “BITES” on this Facebook page, as well as putting them in Reflections newsletter.

  • PLEASE visit ... maybe once a week to see what's new even if you're not going to post.

  • As well as our Website, our Facebook page is our public face in the now mostly virtual world. Do not post personal information about yourself or anybody else.

  • If a Facebook page isn’t seen in the virtual universe, does it exist?


Our UUCR Facebook Forum is the new more personal space. Again, created by Kate Livie. (Click the image below to go to our UUCR Facebook Forum.)
  • This is a private Facebook page/group for UUCR congregants and friends only.

  • One has to be admitted by someone already in the group.

  • Only members can post.

  • The intention is to give us a means of sharing experiences and possibly connecting in this time of distancing.

  • Content posted to the private UUCR Facebook Forum group offers greater latitude than on the public Facebook page, and can include thought-provoking discussion topics, fun asides, and current local topics of interest. It is highly advisable to keep a definite boundary between the two Facebook pages.

  • DICK HAWKINS MEMORIAL SERVICE -- A picture of the service has been posted on the Facebook Forum. This is your chance to join the group, if you have not already done so. Add your own pictures and remembrances. Feel free to start your own post.
Pastoral Care & Connection
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:
Jan Whitney (Office) p: 410-778-3440 | e: uuofchesterriver@gmail.com
Unitarian Universalists of the Chester River 914 Gateway Drive, Chestertown, MD 21620
Phone: (410) 778-3440