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Ministerial Message
for Tuesday, June 23, 2020
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 Beloved Community -
I am so glad to be back after a week of rest and relaxation. It was nice to have a break, but it is great to be back. I have much to look forward to:
- Tonight's vespers service on the Wisdom of Trees. 7 PM link below.
- Exploring UU class Wednesday at 7. This week I will lead a discussion on Faith.
- The General Assembly of Unitarians Universalists starting tomorrow. Twenty folks from UUSS are attending this virtual conference. It is not too late to register and engage with an amazing amount of events. Check out the program here.
- Open house this Friday at 10:30 . You never know who will show up and who will be the host. You can count on good company and good conversation.
- The Sunday service shared with UU congregations all over the country.
- Celebrating the life of Roger Olson, who died unexpectedly a few weeks ago. We will gather together on Zoom Sunday at 4 PM to remember all the ways he touched out lives and offer our support and love to his wife Tamara and family.
Zoom links and details below.
Please don't be a stranger. Roger and I are available for connection and support. I miss you all!
Sending love,
Rev Lucy
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Sundays at 11:00 a.m.
Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m.
Tonight we celebrate the
Wisdom of Trees. Join Rev Lucy and Worship Associate Karen Sparrow. Kenji Ota serenades us on the cello. Come celebrate these amazing beings.
Sunday June 28 is the closing worship for General Assembly, the gathering of Unitarian Universalists, this year meeting virtually. We will join with congregations around the country and at least four thousand other UU's who are attending GA. Zoom on in to our space for a welcome, and we will link you into the service that is part of our annual gathering of UU's. We return for our coffee hub afterwards for discussion and connection. Don't miss it.
Sunday service
includes all the familiar components and faces. Stay for our Coffee Hub after the service, where you can spend 15 minutes in a small group to get acquainted.
Be our Chalice lighter! We invite you to be an on-screen chalice lighter--as individuals or as families--at a Sunday service.
If any of you have a home chalice or candle, you will light it for all of us at the beginning of the service.
All you have to do is
sign-up
We'll Zoom you into the service as our official chalice lighters for the morning's service. We hope to see more beloved and familiar faces.
Tuesday Vespers
(evening service) is a shorter and more casual service. It includes a time for Joys, Sorrows and Milestones, which you can post in the Zoom chat box for us to read. At the end of the service, you are invit
ed to "Start Video" on Zoom and greet everyone!
Visit another UU congregation
Most congregations are meeting online, and many have recorded services available on their web sites. You can also check out the
Church of the Larger Fellowship. This is a UU church online for those around the world who do not have a local congregation. CLF has been offering online worship services for 10 years, so they must be doing something right.
Live stream Sunday at 5:00 p.m.
Access here.
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Recent Losses to UUSS Families
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Roger and Tamara Olson
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We extend our condolences to several of our members, staff, or pledging friends on the loss of loved ones recently. Please let Rev. Lucy or me know if you have experienced a loss; we're here for you. Also, please let us know if you'd like it listed in the Ministerial Message. --Rev. Roger
Our member Roger Olson died suddenly at home in June with his wife of 56 years, Tamara, at his side. He was 77. He was preceded in death by two brothers in the prior year. He is survived Tamara and their children, Jeff in Sacramento and Kim in Portland, their grandchildren, and his sister. A native of St. Paul, Roger had a distinguished career serving the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for 32 years. Since he and Tamara moved to Sacramento in 2016, he has been a volunteer with our Grasshoppers, River Parkway Stewards, Board of Trustees, and Administrative and Property Management Committee; he chaired the Safety Task Force and co-led revising the UUSS governance documents for the Board. We remember his warm smile, humor and kindness. UUSS will host his memorial service at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 28 at this Zoom link. Tamara invites memorial contributions to Black Lives Matter or the Joe Biden campaign for president. See Roger's June 12 Sacramento Bee obituary at this link.
Krystal Gollaher
, our Administrative and Facilities Coordinator, lost her grandmother, Sandy Sawyer, in May at age 74. She had three daughters, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Jan Fleming
lost her mother, Marjorie Carlson, age 101. Marjorie spoke in our March 8 service. Her memorial service will hosted online by Fremont Presbyterian on Friday, June 26, 11:00 a.m. YOU can access the live stream here. Rev. Roger and Jan Fleming will participate. Read her delightful and interesting obituary at this link. Memorial contributions welcome for Big Wave Project or Habitat for Humanity.
Carey Mastain
lost her mother, Mary Steele Mastain, of acute leukemia in May, at age 92. She leaves behind her husband of 70 years, a sister, four children, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Growing up on an avocado and orange ranch, she danced ballet and tap and rode and trained horses. A graduate of Whittier College and CSUS, Mary was a teacher for 31 years.
Kathy Styc
lost her only brother, Joseph Selinski, to pulmonary fibrosis, at age 70. A California native, he was a pharmacist and pharmacy manager for 45 years. He leaves behind his wife, Margaret, two daughters, and his sister Kathy and her daughter. Read his April 25 Sacramento Bee obituary at this link.
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Adult Enrichment:
Classes and Gatherings
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Exploring Unitarian Universalism
Every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday June 24, join Rev Lucy for a discussion of Faith.
Reading and Responding to Poetry with JoAnn Anglin -
Monday July 6 at 10:30 AM.
Friday Morning Open House with UUSS
from 10:30-11:30 Join Rev. Lucy, Rev. Roger or a guest host for conversation and connection.
In the Zoom stream.
Meditation & Mindfulness Practices
Monday, July 13, 6:00-6:30 p.m.
with teacher Ann Kronser and host Judy Bell
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General Assembly Starts Tomorrow
But Its Not Too Late to Register
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Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray UUA President
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This year, ministers and lay delegates from our 1,048 UU congregations in the USA gather online to conduct the business of our denomination, the Unitarian Universalist Association. We also hear amazing lecturers, preachers and musicians, participate in workshops to learn new insights and skills for congregational life. The parts of GA that are
open to the public
(free for non-registrants) are Thursday's Service of the Living Tradition, Friday's Synergy Worship (Youth Bridging to Young Adulthood) and the big Sunday Morning Service. Rev Roger and Rev Lucy will host the Sunday GA Service at our usual 11 AM service time. Join us for one event or all!
The
virtual GA will be much less expensive than in-person versions. There is also a webinar available to help you get the most out of your experience. Register at
www.uua.org/ga
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Community Partner for June: Loaves and Fishes
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E
very month we give half of the Sunday offering to a local not-for-profit group. UUSS members vote every year to choose 12 community partners that embody our values and reflect our mission to be a force for healing in the world.
For June our community partner is Loaves & Fishes, a volunteer-staffed local organization that provides an oasis of welcome, safety, and cleanliness for homeless adults and children seeking survival services.
Thank you for your generosity. You may mail a check to UUSS, give by PayPal through our website, or text a gift to 855-935-2216
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UUSS Chalice Coffee Update
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 Many folks have been ordering the organic and freshly roasted Chalice Coffee and picking it up at UUSS ($12 per bag). If you'd like some, email your specific order
(ground or whole-bean; regular or decaf) to
coffee@uuss.org. If you need a delivery, we can find a volunteer to do that (or another important errand). You are supporting UUSS as well as the Latin American coffee cooperatives AND the Bay Area cafe that roasts our coffee: Farley's. Recently, they were featured in a Reuters News Service article about the pandemic's effects on small firms (and the government relief); it ran in the
New York Times;
click here to read it.
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We come together to deepen our lives and be a force for healing in the world.
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