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March 27, 2020
Issue #537
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Upcoming Worship Services
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March 29
Online Service:
Time Out of Time (10:30AM)
What day of the week is it? When was the last time you showered? Is it still March? When will this be over?! As we navigate this crisis, our sense of time is warped. What wisdom teachings about our relationship to time can we turn to
in these times
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Sunday Circle at 9AM
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Online Worship by Zoom Continues This Week!
Use the following link:
(Note: This is a different link than last week's service,
but the link will now remain the same for future services.)
Or call in by phone: 1-669-900-6833, then enter Meeting ID: 444 532 079
Worship this week will look different than last as we have closed the building. The order of service will be posted in the Zoom chat, and the terrible clicking noise that plagued last week's service has been resolved.
We will continue to light candles for joys and sorrows, and have an opportunity for those who like to stick around for a virtual coffee hour at the end of the service.
If you are so moved, bring a candle to light so we can each have our own chalice burning as we worship together. Many folks found it meaningful to be able to see one another, we encourage you use video to be virtually present with one another again.
Our membership committee met this week and reflected that unusual as it is, this might be a good time to invite a friend to join us for worship. Many people are looking for ways to stay connected in these uncertain and challenging times, and it's never been easier to come to church in pajamas!
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As we continue to grapple with a global pandemic and the impact it is having on all of our daily lives, I have been so moved by the outpouring of love in this community. In emails, Zoom meetings, text messages, and phone calls, I have heard you extending warmth, care, and practical offers of support. In the face of challenging limitations on our ability to show up for one another, we continue to live our values and find tangible ways of being a congregation without congregating. Thank you for the calls you are making, the technology you are learning, all you are doing to weave this tapestry of love we call community.
Uncertainty can be unbearable to the human psyche. In the face of so much unknown right now, our minds grasp for predictability, for reliable plans, for any kind of reassurance that we are standing on solid ground. This is one of the reasons we will continue to worship at the same time, with much of the same liturgy, and even our same chalice lit in my dining room. It's the reason many experts suggest we keep our basic routines as much the same as possible even without the external structure of leaving the house to propel us.
I've found that in the face of so much uncertainty, I can best regulate my own system by attending to those things that bring a bodily sense of reassurance: cooking and cleaning, digging my fingers into the earth of the garden, reading a book, taking a shower or a bath, taking a deep breath and letting it out with a sigh. While my sources of cognitive reassurance are unsteady (looking at the calendar alone can just about give me a panic attack!), doubling my investment in my sources of bodily reassurance keeps me grounded and connected.
This week, school districts around the Bay Area announced that they will remain closed through the month of April. While we await more information about timelines from public health and other government officials, I think it's best to assume we will also keep our building closed for public gatherings through April. Our Sunday morning worship services at 10:30 am, and Sunday Circle at 9:00 am, will continue over Zoom. Links to those meetings and any other public events hosted on Zoom will be available on the calendar on our website:
https://uumarin.org/events/
With you on this uncertain journey,
Rev. Marcus Hartlief
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Many meetings and events have been cancelled or postponed.
P
lease contact the coordinator of your group for additional information.
Have something to share with the UU Marin church community? Send it to newsletter@uumarin.org, by
Tuesdays at 7 am for same week publications.
Order of Service announcements are due by Wednesday at 5 pm,
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This Week in Religious Education
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Here we are at the end of another week of the stay home requirements. Whether a job or trips for supplies allow us to leave home temporarily, or we find ourselves home all the time, we are certain to experience what it is like to live in our home more hours of the day. That c
an mean family members needing to find new routines that adjust to being in each other's company so much more. It also means we have been separated from others who had a big, or sometimes small but necessary, part in our daily lives. I invite you to make connections and reach out to others in our congregation, as well as build ways to give yourself space so that your home does not feel as confining.
For our children at UUMarin,
here is what we are setting up to find connections and provide activities.
Story Reading
thru Zoom
5:30 - 6:00 pm Tuesdays through Thursdays
Gathering for Middle School Age Youth
on Zoom, 45 minute duration.
Day and time to be announced.
Watch for email to middle school age youth and their families with Zoom meeting ID.
Gathering for YRUU on Zoom, 45 minute duration.
Day and time to be announced. Watch for email to middle school age youth and their families with Zoom meeting ID.
Since we are allowed to go outside to exercise, we are also exploring the idea of outdoor hikes for teens, keeping proper physical distances apart in open spaces not closed to the public. Families of teens can watch for email providing a date and time if we are able to arrange a hike and manage this safely. Any family member who does not already have access to Breeze for the congregational directory and would like to be able to reach out to other families for connection, please email me at
Revlynne@uumarin.org and I will send you an invite to join Breeze.
There are also videos and other materials for parents/grandparents, kids and youth in a google drive folder you can access by clicking on this link:
My hope is that by staying connected to one another in this spiritual community as well as offering times where kids can be with each other, we can weather this time with more calming moments. I invite you to email me with your thoughts or ideas on how to better thrive in this time of staying at home.
For joy and justice in an imperfect world,
Rev. Lynne Scarpa
Director of Family Ministries
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Daily gatherings at 4pm over Zoom:
Rev. Marcus is there Tuesday-Friday, leading with moment of spiritual practice (10-15 minutes), followed by a time to check in and connect with whoever shows up. Saturday-Monday the call will be unfacilitated for now, but the Zoom chatroom will be open to all. Everyone is invited to show up whenever it works for you, leave whenever you need to. Join using the same link as our Sunday morning services, which you can always find at
www.uumarin.org.
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The Stewardship Campaign continues. Despite not being able to be with each other right now we still need your support. Maybe you got an e-card last week. Did it make you smile? I hope so. It was also a gentle reminder that it is time to pledge for 2020-2021. We are not asking for funds at this time, just promises. You can pledge on line using the GIVE button at the top of the home page at uumarin.org. If you have an EFT, just ask the office to remind you in June to set up your payments starting on or after July 1, 2020.
Cheers!
Thomas Ervin, Stewardship Chair
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Congregation Retreat Postponed
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The All Congregation Retreat has been rescheduled from May 1, 2, 3 to September 18 to 20 with the same prices as May. Forms and registration available soon. If you have a form for May, you can still use it. Just be aware that we will be at Walker Creek Ranch in September. This will be a great way to get reacquainted with each other as we launch our new congregational year. Hopefully the quarantines and virus issues will have damped down by September.
Thomas Ervin
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If you are not already receiving emails from the social justice committee and wish to receive them along with information about social justice actions/rallies in and around Marin, please send your email address to:
socialjustice@uumarin.org
Racial Justice Workshop
Come join SURJ Marin
online this weekend to learn about how you, as a white person, can be involved in the movement for racial justice right here in Marin County.
Sunday, March 29 at 2-4 pm
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Do you want to make a difference in our county and the world? We focus on local issues which are relevant to all of us. Bring your ideas and concerns to the UUCM Social Justice Committee. We meet the third Sunday of each month at noon.
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Continue your commitment to environmental and economic justice by shopping at
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Staff Links
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Office Hours:
Tuesday-Thursday: mid-morning to late afternoon or into the evening.
Call, text or email to make an appointment.
415-578-9632 (direct), 510-213-0404 (cell)
Administrator:
Director of Family Ministries
Rev. Lynne Scarpa
Choir Director:
Amanda Nelson
Early Childhood Teacher: Glynda Christian
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Feedback about this weekly newsletter is appreciated. Please note change in email address:
eWeekly Deadline for Friday issue:
Tuesday by 7 am - activities and announcements, staff columns, committee reports
Weekly articles can contain:
- Notices of UUCM sponsored events, meetings, or other activities which involve the entire congregation.
- Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) or Pacific Western Region announcements of interest to the entire congregation.
(Staff article length 250 words)
Proofreader: Victoria T. Holdridge
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin
415-479-4131
240 Channing Way
San Rafael, CA 94903
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