After the service, move over to Zoom for
our virtual Coffee Hour.
Bill Motter facilitates 25-30 people tuning in to see how everyone is doing, giving everyone a chance to check in.
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How can I share?You can type it into the “Comment/Chat” bar during Sunday's Service or click below.
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Meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month,
5:30 -7:30 pm.
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For the full letter, click here.
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Sunday Morning Women's Discussion/Convenant Group
January 17 9:15-10:15am
For January, we will use the UUA "Soul Matters" curriculum on the theme "Imagination":
January 17: "Imagine a Story
that Has Shaped Your Own"
January 24: "Imagine your
Gravestone and Obituary"
January 31: "Image 'Breaking
Free': What Would that Look Like"?
To Contact the discussion leader by email,
click the button below
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January 18: Contemplative
“I Have a Dream” from Rev. Doc. M.L. King, Jr.
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Noon Zoom Check-In,
January 19
Luncheon Check-In -
A chance to check-in on what’s going on in your life and mind and that of other UUSP members.
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Contemplative Meditation Readings
(Moving to Tuesdays)
Learn how to meditate here. |
Adult Religious Studies
Zoom Discussion
(Updated) On Holiday through January 27 - 10am & 7pm
January 20, 6:30-7:30pm
“Community Conversations” presented by the St. Pete African American Heritage Association. Register at TomboloBooks.com – scroll down under the “Events” tab. The AAHA will be joined by historian and author Dr. Charles B. Dew to discuss his latest book The Making of a Racist: A Southerner Reflects on Family, History, and the Slave Trade.
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January 21: 12:00pm
Subject to Change
Zoom Citizen's Cafe' - a chance to share about the socio-political issues of the week and times as we approach the Inauguration
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Pastor Jack's Weekly Message |
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Dear UUSP Community,
What a week! Not the least momentous things being the differences in our reactions, between groups, between persons, sometimes between one moment to the next in oneself.
My own prevailing reaction has been to advise myself, No need to panic, given what has happened so far. Outrageous behavior has offended us and the national security response was so poor that it put many leaders at risk on Capitol Hill. Things could have gotten worse in terms of loss of life. Things could have been much better if insight had been greater. Things could have….
But overall, it was stupid and pathetic as far as insurrections go. Many of its participants will spend time in prison. Its precipitator(s) will be at risk of being in there with them at some time – that, hopefully, depending on what course our wiser minds chart.
Overall, I’d say not much has changed. Many of the same few people continue to hoard power over the social well-being of our multitudes. The same multitude of people will continue to suffer unnecessarily unless the hoarding of power stops and the spirit of humanity and earthkind are given their due.
On January 20th, the power to hoard power will start to change. How much is up to us.
If you are a citizen active with social justice organizations (LWV, NAACP, Sierra Club, ACLU, FAST, Planned Parenthood, Celebrate Outreach, countless others) you are making a difference in society that we need. If you have been part of our religious studies for spiritual growth (eg, recently studying Lappe’s Daring Democracy, Harari’s 21 Issues for the 21st Century, Barber’s The Third Reconstruction: How a Moral Movement is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Fear, Buettner’s The Blue Zones of Happiness, Pachamama’s Game Changers, etc.), you are making a difference in yourself that we need.
If so, we are all so far in your debt. And as Unitarian author Charles Dickens’ said through David Copperfield’s appeal, we ask, “More, please.”
Hope to see you on Zoom,
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Wednesday Zoom Adult Religious Studies
Religious Studies Discussions - UPDATED
On Holiday Break and will be back January 27 (10am & 7pm)
Study topic/book to be announced soon
More information coming - watch the InfoNet
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Sunday Children's Religious Education:
January's Theme for
RE is Imagination.
Each month we are dedicating one session to a different aspect of anti-racism work, with our theme guiding us toward which aspect to focus on. When it comes to imagination, we focus on imagining a better world. And who better to celebrate than Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr? Dr. King’s words in his “I Have a Dream” speech can be revisited through the lens of today’s environment with even more impact. White UU’s were not very aware of racism in the last decade. Yet, now white UU’s are working on understanding that racism is still here, deep in our society. Today, more white UU’s realize that they need to imagine a better world. We need to work hard to end racism. Our faith has taken up this work and called on UU’s to build a world without racism. So, what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into becoming a people of imagination? It says, “Imagine and work for a better world.”
It tells us to
“imagine the new day that is on its way!”
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What? - You aren't receiving it the
RE Weekly Newsletter?
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Click below for the newsletter & lesson. |
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Don’t forget our covenant groups continue to meet monthly, these days mainly on Zoom. We currently have eleven covenant groups in the congregation with over 100 people participating. A Covenant Group is a group of 10 or so people who gather regularly (at least monthly) to share and converse about how life is going for the individuals in the group and often for our wider circles of life. Contact Pastor Jack for help to join a group.
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Saturday, January 9, 2021
UUSP Waving Tour
Whether by phone, email, drive-by, let’s reach out to members and friends whom you haven’t seen in a while and say “hey!” Pick 4-6 destinations from the directory, have a brief chat and spread some sUUnshine.
Contact: Sabine or 976-768-3256.
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Building a Community in a
Pandemic E-vents
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"Culinary Phobias Put To Rest" |
Meeting ID: 974 6946 7982
Passcode: 545279
Dial in: 929 205 6099
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Save the Date!
January 17, 5:30 to 7pm
Let John Motter help you with your culinary phobias.
This month John will demystify the mystery of preparing fettuccine carbonara, Pastor Jack’s challenge.
"I’m going very classical rather than extras like the cream Jack mentioned. If you buy quality ingredients and cook it correctly, then you’ll have a plate of spun silk."
Join in on great conversation and viewing a retired gourmet chef’s techniques.
RECIPES:
Traditional Spaghetti Carbonara, is attached and can be found HERE
What is the one thing that you’d love to cook but are afraid to or don’t know how to. Let Sous Chef Sabine know and Chef John will solve the mystery in his kitchen during a zoom meeting each month.
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Guest at Your Table
During the January 3rd service we introduced our first Guest: Chief Shirell Parfait Dardar, the leader within the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe (bottom left corner of below collage). Via last week’s InfoNet you had the opportunity to meet our second Guest, Marshallese climate researcher, and UUSC partner Mark Stege, (Top row —2nd picture from left in below collage).
Here is our third “Guest”: Adela Ramírez who is a human rights advocate in Guatemala. “Migrating people are treated like criminals,” Adela explains. “When they are captured and returned to their communities, children are left in shelters and other places where their rights are violated.”
Adela and her organization, Asociación Pop No’j, have been a UUSC partner since 2017. This organization advocates for the rights of people migrating and supports people after they have been deported from the United States or Mexico to Guatemala. They accompany families throughout the process of return and reintegration, providing mental health services, educational support, and vocational training.
Adela is pictured distributing food to Mayans who were returned to Guatemala.
Meet Adela via this short video below.
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Martin Luther King Jr Day |
January 18th
Sign-up here to participate in the National Day of Service.
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FAST continues to work with local officials regarding affordable housing. With this FAST has asked us to spread the word that the St. Petersburg Housing Authority is accepting applications for the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
Check out the link below.
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Save the Date: February 27, 2021
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Thank you for your interest in
Unitarian Universalist Church of St. Petersburg!
Stay Safe and Stay Well!
Kelli DeGraw, part of your Communications Team.
Feedback and suggestions are welcome
(reply to this email)
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Our UUSP staff members will continue their duties in a safe, cautious manner to the fullest degree possible.
Thank you, Cathy, Jeanay, Jon and Ciera! And many volunteers!
During this challenging time, may we remember that we need to pay close attention to how everybody is doing and how we can help.
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Our mission is to be an inclusive, evolving religious community
that inspires spiritual and intellectual growth to make our world a better place.
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Unitarian Universalist Church of St. Petersburg
727.898.3294
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