March 19, 2021
Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, IN
This Sunday's Service
Sunday, March 21, 2021
10:15 am Livestream
Spring Equinox Celebration: Hope as Seasons Change
Rev. Emily Manvel Leite
Rev. Dave Clements
Our Children's Choir, directed by Jill Courtney
Here Comes the Sun! All ages are invited to join us to mark the turning of the seasons and the change that is happening all around even as pandemic days drag on. In preparation for this multi-sensory service, please gather:
  • a dry leaf
  • a seed (from outside or from a fruit or vegetable)
  • a candle or candles
  • paper and pen
  • if possible, the telephone number of someone else who is livestreaming the service.

As a part of this service, we'll be sharing photos of change and photos of hope. Please send along your own photo of how you have changed over the past year--the six inches more hair, or slightly more balding, your children a whole year older, or you with a new artwork or garden plot. Or send along your photos of hope--you with something that lifts your heart. Photos can be sent to mre(at)bloomington.org or media(at)uubloomington.org. We really hope to have photos of newcomers as well as long time members, so we hope everyone will send them along! 
Photos are due by Saturday, March 20, at noon.
If you miss the livestream, you can view archived videos on our website.
Early Bird Coffee Hour at 9:15 am
Bring your coffee and join us at 9:15 on Sunday mornings to relax with friends and enjoy your coffee before the service. Click on this link to register for the early bird coffee hour and receive the Zoom link.

Connect with Our UU Community during
Virtual Coffee Hour
Everyone is welcome to join us after the worship service, until 12:30 pm, for engaging conversation in Virtual Coffee Hour. 

Just click on this link after the service to join us!
 
Breakout Rooms this Sunday:
  • Next Steps Transition Team (NEST) Listening Session
  • General Discussion
UU Humanist Forum meets March 21, 12:45 pm
The UU Humanist Forum will meet this Sunday at 12:45 p.m. via Zoom. John Crosby will lead a discussion on "The Gospel of Jesus and present-day society." Contact Harold Ogren, ogrenh(at)gmail.com to get the link to the Zoom meeting.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION UPDATES
We hope you'll join in our Spring Equinox Intergenerational Service this Sunday, March 21, at 10:15 am EDT. We especially hope that you'll send photos of your family members to share during the service--it is time to see one another's faces again! Please email your photos to media(at)uubloomington.org by Saturday at noon.

Are you feeling like you are in a stuck place as a family? Ready for something new? Join Reverend Emily this Tuesday, March 23rd, at 10 am--we'll provide support to one another as parents and talk about how to use ritual to make family life a little easier. Click here to join via Zoom.  

Our Youth Group meets this Sunday, March 21st for virtual egg dying. Check your emails for all the details or contact Reverend Emily if you have questions. 
Join in the Dancing and Lip Syncing Extravaganza!!!
We need your help to make a video of our UU Community lip-syncing and dancing to Carrie Newcomer’s uplifting song “Lean in Toward the Light.” Not so sure about your skills?... We also need videos of people showing examples of how they “shift the balance toward the light,” as Carrie sings in the song. The best part is, you can record the video yourself wherever you are and submit it electronically. Please accept this invitation to connect and create something beautiful with your UUCB friends. We are certain to have fun doing it! For more details about how to contribute to this project, please email Nicole at motz.nicole(at)gmail.com.  
Working Group Planning for Eventual UUCB
Re-Opening
With vaccines becoming more widely available, we have begun to receive inquiries about when the church will reopen. At the same time, we know that many members of the congregation remain concerned about COVID-19 infections.

The Board along with the ministers recently formed a Working Group to begin a discussion of re-opening plans for the church. The members of the group are Reverend Mary Ann Macklin, Reverend David Clements, Abby Gitlitz, Ann LeDuc, Jane McLeod, and Melinda Swenson. Read more.

We welcome any input that you might have. Please send ideas, questions, and concerns to Abby Gitlitz at agitlitz(at)hotmail.com or Jane McLeod at jmcleod(at)indiana.edu.
We welcome new babies and adopted children!
Are you expecting a new baby or adopted child in your family, or know a UU who is? If so, please let us know! We want to welcome all new children to our UU family. Just email Ann at connect(at)uubloomington.org and let her know about the new baby or adopted child.
Baby Dedication on Easter Sunday
Please Contact Us to Participate!
Instead of baptism, Unitarian Universalists celebrate new babies with an occasional special dedication ceremony during the Sunday service. The next one is on Sunday, April 4, and will take place via video during our livestreamed service. Please let us know if you would like to participate with your baby or toddler. Contact Rev. Emily Manvel Leite by March 28, mre(at)uubloomington.org.
Congregational Read: Resources and Discussion
The Congregational Read Resource page is updated regularly with information that may be of interest to all who are reading the book. Prompts for Week 5 are now available.

The UU Online Book Club will continue their discussion of Caste on Monday, April 5th at 6:30 p.m. facilitated by Connections Coordinator Ann LeDuc. Sign up here for the Zoom link: UU Book Club Registration
The Annual Goods and Services Auction needs your donations!
Item donation deadline is April 11
Spring is just around the corner and so is the Annual UUCB Goods and Services Auction. The auction will be virtual again this year, with an online catalog and bidding. Bidding will start at 12:00 noon on April 25 and end at 6:00 pm on May 2. We are hoping that your creative juices will start flowing for what could be offered with masks, socially distanced, and outdoors. Use this link to donate a service, dinner, or item!
Auction Planning Committee: Deb Fish, Drew Schrader, Sarah Kopper, and Ann LeDuc
25% Sunday Plate Fund: Nomination Process for 2021-2022
Applications now available -- deadline April 15
The process for nominating our next local non-profit agency to receive 25% of Sunday non-pledge plate collections has begun. An application form with guidelines is available here: Social Justice Funds Committee: 25% Sunday Plate Fund. The application deadline is April 15th.
Visit with the Connections Coordinator Fridays at 3:30 pm
Join the Connections Coordinator, Ann LeDuc, on Zoom Fridays, 3:30-4:30 pm. Ask your questions, or just visit. Everyone is welcome to drop-in. Additional ways to contact Ann are via email at connect(at)uubloomington.org or phone at (812) 720-3688. Use this link to drop-in and talk to Ann on Fridays at 3:30 p.m.
Reverend Macklin and Adrienne Summerlot Away in March
Reverend Mary Ann Macklin, Senior Minister, and Director of Religious Education Adrienne Summerlot are off duty for the month of March. We thank all of our staff and ministers for the extra time, energy, and effort required by these pandemic times. 
Vaccinations available for those age 45 and older!
People age 45 and older in Indiana are now eligible for the covid-19 vaccine. Visit this website, or call 211: https://vaccine.coronavirus.in.go
The Community Kitchen Wants Your Help
Throughout the challenges of this past year, the Community Kitchen here in Bloomington has remained open, providing an uninterrupted flow of nutritious food for hungry people. Want to volunteer for this effort? Sign up for a cooking shift here. COVID-19 prevention precautions are strictly enforced at Community Kitchen. For more info, email Deb Hutton.
--Mary Blizzard, Help Feed Our Hungry Neighbors Task Force
Help Feed Our Hungry Neighbors Task Force
Collecting Food for Area 10 Agency on Aging
For MARCH AND APRIL our food drive will focus on Area 10 Agency on Aging. Click here for information.
Winter Shelter Needs
Concerned Bloomington community members quickly came together to create the Beacon Winter Shelter. Now it's up to us to keep it open. Click here for details about how you can help. You can also donate financially via Beacon's PayPal page. Or, if you are writing a check, make it payable to "Beacon, Inc." and mail it to Beacon, Inc., Donations, PO Box 451 / 620 S. Walnut Street, Bloomington, IN 47402-0451. Be sure to write Winter Shelter in the memo. Note: This is not a fundraiser for our Homeless task force, but an encouragement for people to support the shelter directly.
Green Sanctuary Task Force Weekly Tips

Consider lining your trash bins with paper bags instead of plastic -- you could even use large paper yard waste bags for larger trash bins.
Deadline for submissions to the Order of service and Friday UU Update
Thursday, 9 am, to office(at)uubloomington.org
Masthead photo by John Woodcock.
Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Indiana
Mailing address during covid:
UU Church, PO Box 1158,
Nashville, Indiana 47448-1158