UU St Pete Weekly: November 19, 2021

November 19, 2021

Worship Service

Sunday,

November 21, 2021

10:30 am

Can You See Me Now?

Geneva Nelson, Jeanay Johnson, Jeri Huempfner-Gatz, Jon Arterton & James Mack,

Rev. Ben Atherton-Zeman

Every Friday night volunteers from UUSP and the larger community serve 70-90 unsheltered individuals. What is the truth behind each guest’s journey? Our mission is to shine the light of compassion, making each guest visible, respected and sustained….for one night.

Stone Soup Sunday is back...simplified!

After this Sunday's service (November 21, 2021), UU's Helping People committee members and volunteers from the Friday Night Picnic will pass out homemade soup to go. Please take a bag and feed your soul and body as you get a glimpse into Friday Nights. Contact: Sabine

We invite you to an outdoor viewing of the Worship Service!

Please bring masks and a chair, and please arrive early. The seating begins at 10:15 a.m.

This is an All Ages Worship!

Join us on our

UUSP YouTube Channel

if you cannot join us at the church.

Weekly Message from Rev. Ben

Please write to Rev. Ben for any reason - joys, concerns, etc. He would love to hear from you. Feel free to email him here.

Mark Your Calendars for November 28, 2021, as we will worship together in our Sanctuary, only 80-90 people. We ask you to sit in your pods (or your knows groups of people) and wear a mask.

Religious Education

Children's Religious Education

Theme Angle

An important part of holding history is the understanding that we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. It’s a special phrase, made famous by Isaac Newton. Even very famous people learned and grew from people who came before. For instance, one author describes how Former President Obama liked Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s quote, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” King paraphrased it from the Unitarian minister Theodore Parker. In his sermon given in the 1850’s, Parker said: “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.”

Each person learns and grows from the people who came before. Over 167 years, from 1853 to 2017, Obama stood on the shoulders of King, who stood on the shoulders of Parker. So when it comes to holding history, our faith clearly tells us, “Honor those upon whose shoulders you stand.”

“Here is a light bulb. It provides us with light. (By the way, a Unitarian man who was African American helped invent light bulbs! His name was Lewis Latimer. Yet another person who learned from those who came before and then helped others learn and grow after him.) Sometimes, light bulbs fail and we have to replace them with another one. Now, imagine that we have a light on the ceiling with a light bulb that needs replacing. Imagine that we don’t have a ladder. Can we find some gymnasts? What might they have to do to get at that light bulb?

Well, sometimes that’s how it is when we hold history. We stand on the shoulders of others who come before. That’s a special phrase we use to describe how we learn and grow from the people who came before us. Even very famous people learned and grew from people who came before. For instance, one author describes how Former President Obama liked Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s quote, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” King paraphrased it from the Unitarian minister Theodore Parker. In his sermon given in the 1850s, Parker said: “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.” Each person learns and grows from the people who came before. Over 167 years, from 1853 to 2017, Obama stood on the shoulders of King, who stood on the shoulders of Parker. So today we’re going to explore a bunch of ways in which we stand on the shoulders of those who came before.

This Sunday, please join us in our All Ages worship with your outdoor chairs and children! We will be in our front yard starting at 10:15am. The service starts at 10:30am.

Hello to you all! This year, UU St. Pete is a drop-off point for Toys for Tots! Please bring unwrapped gifts to our Sunday services or reply to this email when you would like to drop off your donation. All gifts benefit the children of Pinellas County! Thank you!

UU St. Pete Connects

Check out our Calendar on our website to check out what's going on here at our

UU St Pete!

UU St. Pete Church Calendar

Membership Update Form

Hey Members of UUSP! Take a moment to update your membership information by completing the form above. For any membership information, reach out to our Membership Lead, Ayliah Canon.

Social Justice

PLEASE WEAR A MASK AND PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING

More here!

Christmas Caroling: at homeless shelters in Downtown St. Petersburg

Friends,

The 30-year tradition of caroling at homeless shelters in St Petersburg returns on December 3rd, and we need your help now:

WHEN: 7:00PM on Friday, December 3

WHERE: Unitarian Universalist Church, 100 Mirror Lake Drive in St. Petersburg 33701 (map)

WHAT: Christmas caroling at homeless residences, a retirement home, and other spots near Mirror Lake in downtown St. Petersburg, and returning to the Unitarian Church by 9:00PM.

With our COVID cancellation last year, we have no idea how many people to expect. You can help us plan for songbooks and other needs.

If you know how you are planning to join us, please click here, including the number you expect will attend. This is not a commitment, but it will give us an idea of how many to expect. We will send updates and reminders as details develop.

Just a few things we do here at UU St. Pete

"In spring of 2016, Celebrate Outreach began developing tiny homes to provide permanent housing for veterans and others experiencing homelessness in the greater St. Petersburg area. By developing low-cost, energy-efficient housing units under 500 s.f., we will be able to provide very affordable housing alternatives for people working to achieve independence and self-sufficiency. Tiny homes will become a big solution for homelessness." learn more here!

This is how our social justice looks here at UU St Pete! Reach out to Sabine. (needs a fancy line)

UUSP Ways To Give

Ways of Giving

We give in gratitude for each other, for our time together, for our sacred space, for those in our wider community, and for those who lead us to be our best selves.

Members and friends set up a plan to make a gift from

their estate to the

Endowment Fund of UU St. Pete. Leaving a portion of the assets one has accumulated over the course of a lifetime ensures the continuation of the spiritual home that they have come to cherish and perpetuates our UU values.