WEDNESDAY, October 14, 2020 |
|
THIS SUNDAY'S VIRTUAL SERVICE |
Sunday, October 18, at 10 am,
Zoom Discussion,
Led by Annie Lavin,
"Calling All Armchair Tourists"
|
So what if we’ve been grounded by COVID? With memories to share we can be transported without worries of virus, travel queues or airport dilemmas to places faraway or close to home. Zoom with us on Sunday as we "Seasoned UU Travelers" share a 2 to 3 minute travelogue on a favorite destination and why its magic stays with us! Whether it’s a Moroccan beach or the sandy shores of Betterton, pack a virtual bag and prepare to be transported!
Join us by clicking the Zoom link here on Sunday, October 18 at 10 am, followed by coffee hour.
If you have a joy or sorrow for the October 18 service, please share it during the discussion or if you're not planning to attend, email the UUCR office at UUCR email by Friday, October 16 at noon. Thanks for everyone’s flexibility.
|
|
|
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!
11:00 am this Sunday.
|
|
|
 |
OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS
Bill Lindsay, Oct 1
Denise Tontarski, Oct 6
Cynthia Ramsey, Oct 11
Catherine Brooks, Oct 17
We want to help celebrate your birthday! If we didn't include your October birthday, please contact Jan Whitney at UUCR email
|
|
|
|
UPCOMING VIRTUAL SERVICES
Sunday, October 25,
Rev. Sue Browning, Virtual Service, "Identifying What
Is True"
Sunday, November 1,
Rev. Libby Smith, Virtual Service
|
|
|
|
Please share your photos! |
All members and friends should have received an email with instructions on giving us the latest picture to be included in the UUCR photo directory. You can send them either through the web site, www.uuchesterriver.org or by email at UUCRpictures@gmail.com. We are looking forward to seeing everyone and their family.
David Biehler
|
|
|
CHESTERTOWN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - SEEKING APPLICANTS |
|
Councilman Tolliver announced the hearing dates on the Human Rights Commission ordinance and also requests nominees for the commission. Nominees will send a letter of interest to the interim chair and vice-chair, who will then present a slate of nominees to the mayor and council. Nominees must live in one of the voting districts within Chestertown and have some experience or interest in human rights issues.
The dates are:
-
Oct 19, 2020 Agenda 7:30 pm - Consideration of creation of Equity Advisory Committee
-
Oct 26, 2020 Agenda 7:00 pm - Public Hearing on Ordinance 06-2020 Chestertown Human Rights Commission
-
Nov 2, 2020 Agenda (partial agenda only) 8:00 pm -Consideration of enactment Ordinance 06-2020 Chestertown Human Rights
|
|
|
VOTING IN THE
2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
|
|
How to Vote in Kent and Queen Anne's Counties: General Election 2020
General Election Day:
Tues, Nov 3, 7 am until 8 pm
Early Voting: Mon, Oct 26 – Mon, Nov. 2, 7 am until 8 pm
Voting registration in Maryland ended on Oct 13, but you may also register to vote (provisional ballot) during Early Voting or on General Election Day.
Contact the Kent County Board of Elections, 410-778-0038,
or the Queen Anne’s County Board of Elections, 410-758-0832, for details.
Three Ways to Vote
1) VOTE EARLY (in person), Oct 26 – Nov 2, 7 am – 8 pm.
In Kent County vote at the Kent County Public Library, 408 High Street, Chestertown.
In Queen Anne’s County, vote at Kennard Elementary School, 420 Little Kidwell Ave, Centreville, or Kent Island Fire Dept., 1610 Main St,Chester.
2) VOTE ON ELECTION DAY, Nov 3, 7 am – 8 pm.
In Kent County at any of the three KC voting centers:
- Kent County Public Library, 408 High Street, Chestertown
- Millington Fire House, 185 Sassafras Street, Millington
- Rock Hall Fire House, 21500 Rock Hall Avenue, Rock Hall
In Queen Anne’s County at any of the four QAC voting centers:
- Kennard Elementary School, 420 Little Kidwell Ave, Centreville
- Kent Island Fire Dept., 1610 Main St, Chester
- Grasonville Elementary School, 5435 Main St, Grasonville
- Church Hill Elementary School, 631 Main St, Church Hill
3) VOTE BY MAIL-IN BALLOT (You must already be registered to vote). On or before Oct 20 apply for a mail-in ballot and specify how you want to receive your ballot (by mail, fax, e-mail or personal pick-up.) Your application for this ballot must be received by the Board of Elections by Oct 20: mailed applications must be postmarked by 8 pm Oct 20; emailed or faxed applications must be received by 11:59 pm Oct 20.
When you receive your ballot, fill it out, sign as instructed, and submit it in its pre-addressed, postage paid individualized return envelope to your Board of Elections:
a) by mail (postmarked by Nov.3)
b) by placing it in a ballot drop-off box.
In Kent County:
- Kent County Public Library, 408 High St., Chestertown, or
- Kent County Board of Elections, 135 Dixon Drive, Chestertown.
In Queen Anne’s County:
- QAC Board of Elections (County office building), 110 Vincit Street, Centreville
- Kent Island Fire Department, 1610 Main St., Chester
c) by delivering to any of your county’s early voting centers
during early voting hours or to one of your county voting centers during voting hours on Nov 3.
|
|
|
Links to Help with Voting Decisions |
The League of Women Voters has worked diligently to prepare
Voters’ Guides for the 2020 General Election. Hard copies will
be distributed throughout both Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties. KC Guides will be handed out at the Farmers’ Market in Chestertown every Saturday morning until November 3 – but if you’d like to see the Kent County Guide online, click here. For the Queen Anne’s County Guide, click here.
Two statewide ballot questions will be on the ballot on November 3. Want to know more about them? The League of
Women Voters of Maryland has put together descriptions of both questions, including the arguments for and against each. Click here if you’d like to see these.
Jane Hardy
|
|
|
Still Eager to Promote Voting? |
|
There’s another group working to turn more Americans into voters in the upcoming Nov. 3 presidential election. While Reflections has recently presented several volunteer projects, here’s another one – Vote Forward.
The website is votefwd.org, and the instructions make it easy to print out letters to people, listed in bundles of five.
The non-partisan organization reports that more than 20 million letters already have been addressed to registered voters in swing states. In fact, some swing states (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Iowa, Texas) are fully "booked" with letter writers. But a few are still waiting.
The appointed mailing date is October 17, chosen by experts to arrive for maximum impact. Volunteers need to donate paper, envelopes and first class stamps.
Linda Weimer
|
|
|
From UUCR's Social Concerns/Social Justice Committee |
|
Exciting New Project from the Social Concerns/Social Justice (SCSJ) Committee |
To launch our partnership with Kent Attainable Housing (KAH), we are looking for someone from our congregation to coordinate our efforts to help the first family move into their new home, tentatively by the end of November. We need a coordinator to seek contributions from our congregation that will help to furnish and provision this home in Chestertown for a family of five, two adults and three children, ranging in age from two to sixteen. We've prepared a detailed list of items requested from the family and now we need to reach out to our members and friends to solicit and gather the needed items.
This really sounds like a fun project! You will get lots of support from the SCSJ Committee and the KAH folks as well. You could even team up with another member on this project. Please let me know if you might be interested or have questions.
|
|
|
White Allies Pledge Campaign by Kent County's Social Action Committee for Racial Justice |
I hope that you all have had a chance to read and consider signing the White Allies Pledge as published in local media and our own Reflections last week. What you may not know is the level of UUCR leadership that has been working to bring this Pledge to the community. While this is a product of the Social Action Committee for Racial Justice (SACRJ), our own Board and Social Concerns Committee is partnering with the SACRJ in support of our Strategic Plan's focus on racial equity. In addition, many of our members are actively working with the SACRJ to promote racial justice in our community, including Philip Dutton who is a member of the SACRJ Steering Committee. If you want to do more, please consider signing the Pledge and becoming a member of the SACRJ. There's a lot of information on their new website https://sacracialjustice.com.
Lynn Dolinger,
Co-Chair of the UUCR Social Concerns Committee
|
|
|
LAST SUNDAY'S VIRTUAL SERVICE |
|
From Sunday, October 11,
Rev. Sue Browning,
"What Has Surprised You of Late?"
|
Do we come to each day ready to be surprised? Should we? How has surprise been a part of 2020? At this service with Rev. Sue Browning, we’ll consider the role of surprise in our lives, both surprises that come with joys and those that come with challenges.
Deep gratitude for Words and Music from Sue Browning, Eamon Peach, Jim Lavin, Elizabeth Hausburg, Ellen Barry Grunden, and Dave Moore. Our grateful thanks as well to the Tech and Communications Team of John Ramsey, Dave Moore, Jim Lavin, David Biehler. Don Barker, Bozena Lamparska, Jane Hardy, and Jan Whitney
|
|
|
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.
- 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:
|
|
|
Unitarian Universalists of the Chester River 914 Gateway Drive, Chestertown, MD 21620
Phone: (410) 778-3440
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
