Weekly Connections Newsletter

First Unitarian Church

Weekly Connections

Upcoming Virtual Worship Services

Sunday, June 7 at 10:00 AM

Rev. Bob Renjilian, preaching

Will Stacey, Worship Associate

Worship service at 10:00 AM

with Children's Worship at 9:30 AM

Sunday, June 14, 2020 at 10:00 AM

Coming of Age service

led by Sheila Schuh, Thom Snell,

and Rev. Shari Halliday-Quan

Worship Service at 10:00 AM

Children’s Worship at 9:30 AM

Meet meet us online (live-captioning also available there), or if you do not have access to the internet, call 646-876-9923,

and use meeting ID #5852719070

Letter to the congregation from Rev. Shari

Beloveds,

Come Sunday, it will be three months since we last gathered in-person together. The afternoon of March 7th, after the youth service, I had a conversation with a neighbor about what he thought about coronavirus--this new thing that we’d been hearing of and probably needed to take seriously. I was so naive then.

This neighbor echoed opinions I’d heard from a number of people within our own congregation: We know that quarantine and contact tracing are effective ways to curtail the virus, but Americans are too resistant to the idea of surveillance and restricting freedom of movement for that to work. We were so naive then.

The neighbor, a Black man in his 30’s, continued with something I hadn’t yet heard in this context: Of course, that’s not true. Americans are just fine with people being tracked and watched. People being pulled off the street and locked up for unknown periods of time. It happens all the time in my community. Americans are just fine with it; it just depends on which Americans we’re talking about.

Isn’t that the truth--and a damning one at that. Much has changed about the world, my perspective, and perhaps yours, in the last few weeks, months, years, and decades, but if you are surprised to hear about uprisings or riots across our country or shocked to hear that Tony McDade, George Floyd, or Breonna Taylor were killed by police, that particular naivete is dangerous. When elected officials in Pittsford are unbothered that the town has only 2% of residents who identify as Black/African-American but neo-nazi groups are also openly recruiting in the same town, we cannot afford to be naive now.

Continue reading and learn our next steps

Gratitudes, Joys and Sorrows

Congratulations to Rev. Margalie Belizaire on her recent ordination! Rev. Margalie will be joining the ministerial staff here at First Unitarian this August.

Bob Taylor , a member of the church for many years, passed away peacefully at home Sunday May 17 with his wife Melissa Matson at his side and surrounded by the love of his family and many friends. Bob was an active member of the choir, played cello for many church services, recruited instrumentalists to participate in Music Sundays, initiated the original Unitarian Chamber Music series in 1986, and led the stage crew for the twelve years of our First Muse Chamber Music series. With his interest in gardening, he helped build and maintain the church's labyrinth. Bob was also a member of a men's group that started at First Unitarian and continued to meet for many years. A virtual memorial service is in the works, and an in-person celebration will be held at a later date. “ To live in hearts that love is not to die.”

Our prayers go out to Carl Olsen who got a diagnosis of cancer this week, and will start with chemo and radiation soon. He’s hoping to connect with other church members who have been (or are) going through this, so please reach out.

We are pleased to hear that Jane Tuttle is home and doing well after being hit by a car while on her bike last weekend.

Thank you from the Immigration Ministry for supporting the collection of personal care items for refugees convalescing from COVID-19. In four days last week, you donated five full carloads of items such as hand sanitizers, disinfectant wipes, soap, paper towels, and toilet paper. Special appreciation to the church members who volunteered at this event during a week that started with a record-setting 94 degrees and ended with rain.

Care for our community is our first priority right now. If you are ill, have been hospitalized, have decided or are ordered to self-quarantine and need food or other supplies, or are simply worried about how you will respond to these needs, please reach out to Rev. Bob and our pastoral care team at Caring@RochesterUnitarian.org or 585-270-0851 .

This Week's News and Reminders

Reminder: Newsletter submission are due each Tuesday at 10:00 AM, and should be sent to announcements@rochesterunitarian.org.

The Unitarian Universalist Association invites you to attend the annual General Assembly to be held June 24 to 28! Virtual attendees will be able to watch and participate in live meetings and workshops. Find more information here . Attendance costs $150. Email Rev. Shari if you wish to be a delegate or require financial assistance.

Are you between the ages of 18 and 35 and looking for spiritual connection with your peers? The UU Young Adult Group is meeting over Zoom on Friday, June 5 at 6:30pm. If you are interested, please email Enri or Jenna .

Under the Elder Tree , one person each week tells their life story, in half an hour or so, and then we ask questions and reflect on how our lives intersect. Our story-tellers are usually elders (defined however you choose) but everyone is welcome to attend: Facilitated by Rev. Libby Moore; join us Saturdays at noon in the church’s Zoom room . This Saturday, June 6, Jo Cone will be our guest. The following Saturday will feature Sue Schwardt . Interested in sharing your story? Contact Libby .

Annual Congregational Meeting this Sunday, June 7 . As approved by our Board of Trustees, this year’s Annual Meeting will be held via Zoom. All church members are encouraged to attend.

Meeting Agenda

Budget Presentation

Please direct any questions you may have to our President Tim Farnum .

A grief support group for spouses and partners who are coping with the death of their loved one will begin June 10 . This group, led by Rev. Lynn Acquafondata, affiliated community minister, will be held online for four weeks. The group will meet from 1:00-2:30 PM Wednesdays June 10, 17, 24 and July 8 . Call Rev. Lynn to register: 585-330-1340.

Join the June 19th virtual Juneteenth 5K Run/Walk! Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This year’s race is “virtual”: Walk or run the 5K (3.1 miles) from home or wherever you are. Register here. Proceeds will support creating the Rochester Civil Rights Heritage Site at Baden Park. The event is sponsored by the Spiritus Anti-Racism Coalition (SPARC) and the First Universalist Initiative for Racial Equity (FIRE). Donate here . Consider supporting our First Universalist friends by helping them reach their fundraising goal. Click on their name in the list of Top Teams. Questions? Contact Tom Perry .

UU Wellspring Group Starting Online, June 23 . Wellspring is a spiritual deepening program that originated in our church and has been seeded in congregations across the US and Canada. It is a program that explores how the foundations of our faith support us throughout our life. Considering the difficult challenges around us, this may be the perfect time to participate. Rev. Tina Simson, Minister Emerita at First Unitarian, will co-facilitate along with a member of First Unitarian’s Wellspring Advisory Team. Rev. Tina has facilitated this program online for religious professionals for the past 3 years and the format works well. There are a total of 20 sessions, meeting every other week, starting June 23, 2020, 6:30-8:30pm . If you are interested in joining this program or have questions, please contact Rev. Tina . Find more information about the national program here .

Voting Information : If you are a registered member of a political party that has multiple certified candidates for federal, state, or local office, you are eligible to vote in that party's primary election on June 23. An overall list of candidates in Monroe County can be found here . You can vote in-person at a polling site (sites may be new because of COVID-19), or in-person at an early voting site . You may also request an absentee ballot be sent to you by using this online form , or by printing this form and mailing it in. You can check the box for “Temporary illness or physical disability” because of COVID-19 concerns. If you intend to apply for an absentee ballot, do so as soon as possible, as the Board of Elections will get increasingly busy as the election nears. You may, as some already have, receive an absentee ballot for the Democratic presidential primary separate from primaries for local races. Some in the area might receive a 3rd ballot if you are involved in a special election in Congressional District 27. Ballots must be postmarked by June 22.

Attention UU Golfers: Sign Up Now for our 2020 UU Open, Sunday July 26 at Parkview Fairways, Victor . We’ll meet at 12:30pm at Parkview for warm up events, then tee off in groups starting at 1:00pm. After we finish our 9-hole best-ball event, a picnic dinner will follow in their spacious outdoor pavilion. You have your choice of driving a 1-person cart or walking this easy circuit. A $40 riding ($35 walking) fee includes everything. Keeping the pandemic in mind, we will observe the 6 feet minimum social distancing recommendation - not hard to do on a golf course! And then we'll have a big pavilion to spread out in. The entire event will be outdoors. Please e-mail Paul Suwijn (or call 585-899-9225) to sign up – TODAY!

Calls to Action

The Environmental Justice Ministry recognizes that there is intersectionality between those most affected by coronavirus and climate crisis. The same policies and factors that put Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities most at risk from Covid-19 are those that create the greatest risk from climate change, and are often at the root of broader race and class inequities. Our response now must tear down the racist and extractive status quo, strengthen our resilience to future disasters, and lay the groundwork for a more just, equitable, and sustainable future for our state. The EJM is a member of the NYS climate coalition, NYRenews, and we encourage you to sign their petition supporting the idea that COVID-19 stimulus spending by government should be focused on a climate justice recovery. One goal is hundreds of thousands of good green jobs, especially targeted on protecting the most vulnerable among us.