FIRST UNITARIAN SOCIETY OF WESTCHESTER |
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Online Worship, Sunday, May 23
“Roots and Wings”
Rev. Kristina Church
Gathering Music 10:25am - Service 10:30am
A seminary trip to Transylvania becomes a portal to deeper understanding of Unitarianism. Come journey with us!
or call 646-558-8656, Meeting ID 600 398 863
Passcode: 230809
You are invited to log in early to greet one another.
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We are holding gatherings and Sunday services online. Check our website fusw.org and Facebook page to find information and updates.
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Upcoming Events
Upcoming Worship
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Sunday, May 30, 10:30am - “A Toast to the Lightbearers!” ~ Reggie Harris
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Sunday, June 6, 10:30am - TBA ~ Rev. Kristina Church
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To be sure you see all the news, go to the top of the newsletter and click “Don't Get Clipped...” to open the full Scoop in your browser.
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Annual Meeting
FUSW Annual Corporate Meeting, Sunday, June 6, 2021, 11:15 via Zoom, Our Sunday service will be shortened so we may begin the Corporate Meeting at 11:15
Please join us at the Annual Corporate Meeting to attend to important congregational business, including approval of budget and election of board members for the coming year. We look forward to seeing you there! Click here to join the Annual Meeting, or call 646-558-8656, Meeting ID 600 398 863, Passcode: 230809. Click here for the agenda.
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Be a Program Group Leader
We are in need of one more team of program group leaders! Is this your year? How about teaming up with someone else? Many times two unrelated folks get together to lead a team. What a great way to be a leader and get to know others better. Plenty of helpful support will be yours for the asking. Please contact Betsy Kates (bkates42@verizon.net) if you are willing and able.
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Step Up for Summer Services
Summer is coming, and with it — our lay-led summer services! We have a lot of exciting opportunities this season, including some surprises and new collaborations. We need YOU to step up to the plate to help coordinate them, as well as to lead. Tech support available, of course. Contact Craig Butler (craigbutleruu@gmail.com) or Betsy Kates (bkates42@verizon.net) to join the team.
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Message from the Minister
Greetings, FUSW folks! I hope your week has been hopeful, affirming, and enjoyable. And I hope you are continuing to take good care of yourself amidst all the changes we've been through. As things open up around us, please remember that our minds, bodies, and yes, our spirits, have been through incredible stress in the past year and a half.
If you are ready to throw open your doors, step outside, and take in some new sights, that's completely understandable.
If you can't wait to get together with friends, hug your grandkid, or sit in a coffee shop, that's totally understandable too.
If you are feeling tentative and anxious, that's completely understandable and a response that makes sense, given all that we have gone through in this pandemic.
If you are worried, scared, or are just not ready to go back out into the world again, that is absolutely understandable as well.
Remember that public health organizations exist at the crossroads of medical science and behavioral science, and that their new, more relaxed guidelines are meant to provide advice, not mandates. You do not have to take off your mask in public. You do not have to go out to a restaurant or bar. You can take this slowly, checking in with yourself each step of the way. You can say yes to the activities that feel right for you, this week, this day, this hour. And then, if you get there and it doesn't feel like you thought it would, it's okay to change your mind and take a few steps back, to a place that feels safe and comfortable.
Our congregation is also able to go slowly, thinking through each step to greater freedom and togetherness. While we long for a time to be together, we need to go at a pace that makes sense and keeps all of us feeling safe and welcome. As we think through the steps to reuniting in person, we need to keep in mind the idea of going at a pace we can handle, along with our UU values of equity and inclusion. Click here for an article by UU religious educator and consultant CB Beal about how values need to inform our careful and intentional choices during this delicate time of hopes and fears.
Rest assured that your Board of Trustees and I are in conversation about how best to return to in-person gatherings, while keeping our most vulnerable folks safe, and continuing to offer inclusive welcome to all.
Take good care of yourself, and I'll see you very soon!
Blessings for health and wellness during this tender time! May we all be well. ~ Kristina
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A Second Look
Tony Ierulli has shared with us his essay “No Mud, No Lotus” from our Sunday, May 16 service. If you missed it or would like to read it again, click here to go to the Members page on fusw.org. You'll find Tony’s speech in the Readings section of the Service Archive.
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See How Our Garden Grows
Our community gardeners have been doing amazing work in our fenced-in garden. Take a look!
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UUA Common Read
You are invited to read this year’s UUA Common Read, Breathe: A Letter to My Sons, by Imani Perry, and then join one of five multi-congregation discussion groups:
- Thu May 20, 7:30pm, facilitated by Jeff Tomlinson & Adine Usher
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Fri May 21, 11:00am, facilitated by Eddy Fried [FULL]
- Sat May 22, 3:00pm, facilitated by Amy Nathan & Meredith Garmon
- Sun May 23, 12:00 noon, facilitated by Tracy Breneman
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Mon May 24, 7:30pm, facilitated by Kevin McGahren-Clemens
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FUSW Book Group
FUSW Book Group, Saturday, June 12, 10:00am, in person (outside)
Join the FUSW book group in reading our current selection: The Good Lord Bird by James McBride (pictured). Our discussion group plans to meet in person outside at FUSW. To learn more, contact Denise Woodin (dcw2@optonline.net).
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UUMUAC Conference
Zoom Conference: “The Seven Principles: Do They Work?” Sponsored by The Unitarian Universalist Multiracial Unity Action Council, Saturday, May 22, 11:00am - 4:30pm ~ Join us for a virtual event to explore what the Seven Principles mean to us as individual UUs, how the Principles can be better realized in the world, plus a revolutionary interpretation of the Principles in the struggle for the beloved community (aka the classless society). RSVP to uumuac@gmail.com by Friday, May 21. Click here for the conference flyer and schedule.
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Share the Plate for May: Midnight Run
Midnight Run coordinates over 1,000 relief missions per year, where volunteers from faith communities, schools, and other civic groups distribute food, clothing, blankets, and personal care items to our New York City neighbors who are homeless. FUSW has been a participating partner since Midnight Run's inception more than 30 years ago, and our Runs have been a vital part of our congregation's Social Action Program for decades. We collect for our Share-the-Plate partner throughout the month. Visit fusw.org, click “Donate,” and select “Share the Plate.”
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FUSW Contacts & Information
Questions, Concerns, or Compliments for FUSW?
Reach out to any member of our Board of Trustees, fusw.org/board-of-trustees (place cursor over picture, then right-mouse click to copy email).
Scheduling Online Meetings
To schedule a Zoom online meeting for your committee or program group, contact Rina Schunk (admin@fusw.org) with the purpose, date, and time you need, as well as information you want included in the Scoop. Rina will check availability, schedule the calendar, and send you the invitation link.
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The Scoop e-newsletter is sent out each week. Have news to share? Submit articles to our administrator, Rina Schunk, at admin@fusw.org by Wednesday at 10:00am. To schedule events on the FUSW Calendar, contact Rina Schunk at admin@fusw.org
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We are a liberal religious community
shaping the world in our image of love
Deepening Spirituality · Nurturing Community · Advancing Justice
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