THIS SUNDAY'S VIRTUAL SERVICE
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Sunday, July 26,
Rev. Sue Browning,
"Always Learning, Always Challenged"
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In late June Rev. Sue, Carl Gallegos, and UUFE's Dick Doughty, Ann Davis attended (virtually!) the UUA's General Assembly. What did they learn? How were their perspectives changed? Join us for this virtual service and to hear their reflections from GA on our UU faith, opportunities for greater inclusion, and more.
To view this service (it will be uploaded by Sunday morning), click
here
to go to the UUCR YouTube channel. You may also to the the church's webpage,
https://uuchesterriver.org/, and find the service by clicking on the tab at the bottom of the "Keeping In Touch" column on the left side of the page.
If you would like to have a Joy or Sorrow included in the service, please submit it in writing to Rev. Sue's
email by 12 pm Friday and she will read them each as a part of the service.
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LAST SUNDAY'S VIRTUAL SERVICE
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Sunday, July 19,
Zoom Summer Discussion,
Led by Amy Warner: "Summer Reading"
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Our discussion last Sunday yielded a fascinating variety of books that folks have been reading this summer. Thank you to all who participated, and, as promised, here is the list below:
Margo Long and Harry & Nancy Hart—
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Nancy Holland—
The Redhead
by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler
Lynn Geisert—
Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air around Us by Sam Kean
Jane Hardy—
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
Guy Edwards—
Bad Blood by John Carreyon
Gerry Edwards—
One Long River of Song by Brian Doyle
David Biehler—
Sapiens, A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Linda Weimer--
Love for Sale - A History of Popular Music in America by David Hajdu
Amy Warner—
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Betty Kerr—
Growing Season by Melanie Lageschulte
Carl Gallegos—
My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
Peggy McKee—
The Children by David Halberstam
Dianne Turpin--
Dark Enough to See the Stars in a Jamestown Sky: Based on the true story of the women and children of Jamestown by Connie Lapallo AND The Wizard and the Prophet, Two Remarkable Scientists and their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow's World by Charles C. Mann
Vida Morley—
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Denise Tontarsksi—
Separated by Jacob Soboroff
Kevin O’Brien—
Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson
Annie Lavin—
The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
Jim Lavin—
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
Thank you to all,
Amy Warner
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Back From a Break
The past two weeks I was on vacation. The stars aligned well and both congregations had Sundays well-covered and church life was quiet. A real break!
The clear highlight was our son Daniel’s marriage to Rachel in a small backyard ceremony, followed by brunch. We then spent a week with immediate family, complete with day trips, exercise, reading, puzzles, shared meals, and amazing sunsets.
Fun and relaxing to be sure, yet we found our conversations would inevitably circle back to the pandemic. Who could we interact safely with for work and play? What about the much larger wedding originally planned, or the honeymoon that was cancelled? What about friends’ and families’ weddings still planned, or in flux, or postponed? Who did we know who was furloughed?
Our family includes a school counsellor, nurse practitioner, FDA/Public Health Service engineer, IT programmer, retired volunteer, and minister. Many perspectives were at the table as we actively considered broader communities and our roles. How should the choice on opening schools be made? What was working best to address food insecurity? What was the price of isolation? When would in-person worship be safe? How should volunteers engage (or not)? And we discussed vaccines, viral load, and the best way to sanitize. And, yes, then we would circle back and finish books and puzzles, listen to music, watch movies, and nap.
While it is impossible to tune out the challenges and uncertainties of the pandemic, it was wonderful to have a change in routine and time with family.
My hope is that each of you are finding pockets of simple joy and connection this summer in the midst of this atypical year.
In connection,
Rev. Sue
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Join Us for Coffee Hour on Sunday!
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Come join us for a time to see and talk to one another. It's the next best thing to being there!
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JULY BIRTHDAYS
David Biehler, July 3
Gayle Folger, July 16
Annie Lavin, July 17
Nancy Hart, July 26
Waverly Ford, July 28
We want to help celebrate your birthday! If we didn't include your July birthday, please contact Jan Whitney at
UUCR email
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UPCOMING VIRTUAL SERVICES
Sunday, August 2, Greg Chute, Summer Zoom Discussion. "Reflections on the Pandemic"
Sunday, August 9, 10 am —
Join us on our UUCR grounds IN PERSON as we conduct a service in which we will dedicate new trees to the memory of our dear friend Dick Hawkins, a long-time member of UUCR’s Green Sanctuary committee. Of course, we will practice social distancing during the service, and masks will be required.
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Bites—
nourishing spirit-filled families one bite at a time
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FAMILY REFLECTION (Prayer or Grace)
Blessed be the earth who gives to us this food,
Blessed be the sun who makes it ripe and good,
Sun above and earth below,
Our loving thanks to you we show.
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From Your Social Action/Social Justice Committee
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Petition to Support Dr. Andrea Kane and the Board of Education Addressing Racism in Queen Anne's County
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Please click this
link to sign a petition to support the ongoing efforts to address racism in Queen Anne's County by Dr. Andrea Kane and the Board of Education.
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Help us promote our special UUCR “brand” and tout our services and community work by “liking" UUCR’s Facebook page. Not a UUCR Facebook page “follower" yet, or even a Facebook user? Click the Facebook icon in this article or at the bottom of this newsletter. We need as many “likers” and “followers” as possible as we navigate these strange on-line times!
Jane Hardy
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Check in Every First Wednesday for Support and Feedback on Our Individual Efforts to Make a Difference
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During my sermon on Sunday, June 21, I encouraged each congregant to make one specific commitment to support ending racism. As I explained, I will host a Zoom call on the first Wednesday of each month at 7 pm, where we will be able check in with one another on our progress. The call will be brief, and will focus on encouragement and learning.
Rev. Sue Browning
If you have questions, please be in touch with Rev. Sue at
email.
A Zoom link will be provided before the next call.
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Pastoral Care & Connection
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We are here for you! We will focus on staying directly connected with our members and friends, especially those who may need assistance or support. The caring teams from our congregation is staying in touch, but if you need to reach out, please be in touch with any of the contacts below to stay connected (and see additional contacts below for RE families).
Please know your congregation is here. We can help you find connections. Please don't hesitate to reach out and let us know what is helpful for you in this time.
Rev. Sue Browning, and the Pastoral Care Associates: Kevin Brien, Gayle Folger, Nancy Holland, and
Vida Morley
or for more information, contact:
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Unitarian Universalists of the Chester River
914 Gateway Drive, Chestertown, MD 21620
Phone: (410) 778-3440
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