November News from UUFS

UUFS NEWS

November 2020

Our Mission Statement

As a welcoming congregation, we work and worship together

to become people of open minds, loving hearts, and helping hands. We honor the transformative power of love in our individual lives and broader communities.

Liminal Spaces

As we approach November and the leaves begin to fall, I find myself in a liminal space. In his article entitled, “The Liminal Space – Embracing the Mystery and Power of Transition from What Has Been to What Will Be,” Alan Seale shares:

The word “liminal” comes from the Latin root, limen, which means “threshold.” The liminal space is the “crossing over” space – a space where you have left something behind, yet you are not yet fully in something else. It’s a transition space.

When one is in a liminal space, it may seem that nothing is certain, and that that the future is very unclear. It can be extremely unsettling for someone who likes to make plans and work toward completing goals, etc. Yet here I find myself, in this in-between place for many reasons.

First, my son and my grandson are both planning big moves; one to a place much further from home and the other coming back to Bulloch County. There are so many unknowns connected to these moves. Will they survive and thrive?

My two precious great grandchildren will have parents in two different states and will be shuttled back and forth. Will they survive and thrive?

My other grandson is a senior in high school, studying at home, not sure what he will do when high school is over. Meanwhile, his mother’s long-time job at JC Penney is ending this month as they close the store in Statesboro. Will they survive and thrive?

My mother is home from the hospital, delighted that the autopsy indicated there was no cancer, yet still having unresolved problems that cause her much difficulty. Will she survive and thrive as she approaches her 94th birthday on November 15?

Our congregations are completing their stewardship drives in the midst of a pandemic in which church life is anything but normal. Will they survive and thrive as we attempt to move forward with so much unknown?

Our nation is having what many call the most important election in our lifetimes? Will our democracy survive and thrive?

There is so much that is unknown in my life – and I am sure in yours as well. Seale states:

The liminal space can bring us face-to-face with our inner fears about who we are, how we show up in the world, our strengths and vulnerabilities, and our successes and disappointments. It can cause us to question the very core of our beliefs, practices, and identities. Herein lies the power and the gift of the liminal space. The liminal space shakes us out of our habitual lives. It draws us out of what we have known, yet does not allow us to know what is coming next, or when. It’s the chrysalis stage for the caterpillar.

At times like these, I call on those familiar words of Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer as I ask for the “Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Indeed, with all of those instances I named above, I have already provided whatever support and influence that I had within my control. Now I must let go. And that’s okay. For it’s in the liminal spaces where transformation and evolution can happen. Blaise Pascal, 17th-century French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and philosopher, wrote:

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.

May it be so!

Peace, Love, and Courage!

Jane

Join our ONLINE SERVICE* on your computer or smart device. (You will be asked to download ZOOM software if you haven't before. It's safe!)

Go to: https://uuma.zoom.us/j/4793253254

Enter this MEETING ID when asked: 479 325 3254

NOTE: Even when Jane is not conducting our online services we use this Zoom link & ID.

* EXCEPT 3rd Sundays. See below for the special link to the 3rd Sundays' Zoom Room.

November 1

“Dialogue on Race: Insights from Black UU Women”

Teresa Winn, Worship Leader

Led by Paula Cole Jones, Washington, D. C. based consultant and elder in Black Lives UU, allows our congregation to “sit in” on a dialogue between five Black women as they confront racism. These activists have been stirring up “good trouble” in communities, in UUA, and in other traditions for decades.

ANTHEM: Sing Gently

November 8

“Election Reflection”

Rev. Jane Page, Worship Leader

Every four years, Rev. Jane shares an “Election Reflection” on the Sunday after the Presidential election. This year as we meet jointly on Zoom, in addition to her own homily, we will have a breakout group time during the service for members and friends of the two congregations to share their own reflections, joys, and concerns related to the election. Join other Unitarian Universalists as we make meaning of the results of the election

(if we have them by then.)

ANTHEM: Let There be Peace on Earth

November 15

“Monuments and Memories”

Clint Tawes

Clint Tawes, an enrolled member of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe, will share his experience observing the National Day of Mourning each year and invite the congregation to explore the importance of re-examining society’s collective memory, which we often refer to as “history”, by giving voice to marginalized people whose memories do not match society’s monuments.

3rd Sunday REMINDER

All UUFS 3rd Sunday services are accessed through a SPECIAL ZOOM ROOM.

*Use this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6632243238

Meeting ID: 663 224 3238

For DIAL IN FOR LISTENING ONLY via your landline or cell phone:

Call: 312 626 6799 and use this Meeting ID: 663 224 3238

November 22

“Being a Good Ally – Economic Differences”

Rev. Jane continues her series on “Being a Good Ally” by examining economic differences and how that affects our society. How can we as Unitarian Universalists be better allies for those who are financially challenged within our own congregations, our communities, and the world?

ANTHEM: Give Thanks

November 29

“A Crack in Everything”

On this fifth Sunday, we will be guests of Rev David Morris and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Outer Banks on Zoom. Parker Palmer writes that everyone’s heart breaks, and that the question is whether our heart is brittle and breaks apart, or is supple and breaks open, allowing for love and healing to enter. How do we keep a supple heart?

Join us online streamed live from the

UU Congregation of the Outer Banks, Kitty Hawk, N. C.

Follow this SPECIAL ZOOM link to join. https://us02web.zoom.us/i/89296119207

Meeting ID: 892 9611 9207

To join by phone (audio only) call: 929 205 6099

In our efforts to provide access to all who want to participate in our joint services, we have recently added the option for closed captioning of what is being said. If you are familiar with the voice recognition tools on your phone and messaging systems, you know that these are not always perfectly accurate. But, they are often close enough that you can get a pretty good idea of what is being conveyed. Many of us have expressed concern about what others were saying via ZOOM. Sometimes, this may be due to our own hearing problems, and at other times, it may be a technology issue.

In any case, we are hoping that this improves your experience. Now you do not have to have the captions on – and for those who are hearing fine through their computers or headphones, it may even be distracting. But it IS available. There is also the possibility of making the font size larger.

We want to be as welcoming as we can be for all folks during these difficult times. And, we are glad to be able to provide this service.

Dear UUFS members and friends,

The UUFS Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, November 15 via Zoom following the Statesboro online service. Please plan to attend and elect the board members who will lead next year, and to approve the budget.

To access the meeting, please go to UUstatesboro.org, then click the “Access Online Services” tab. Make sure you select the link to access the Zoom room for the 3rd Sundays.

We rely on your participation and input to keep our Fellowship going! Thank you for keeping our community strong for this past year, and for keeping us optimistic as we look forward to “Tomorrow, Tomorrow!”

Thank you!

Blessings,

Tanya Carden

Please click here to COMPLETE CANVASS FORMS

Join us on Sunday, November 8 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on our church property for some socially distanced conversation! The children can play on the playground and we can move around the property or sit with our masks on and share with one another face to face! Bring your own lawn chair.

(If the weather doesn’t cooperate, we will meet on November 22.)

Pictured here is the small group utilizing our outdoor space for their "brain break".

THANK YOU, UUFS

This past August, a small group of middle schoolers began meeting in the sanctuary at UUFS to learn virtually together! For this, our families are grateful. The youth have been able to meet safely, support one another, and learn together, all of which are opportunities that would otherwise be limited. I am personally grateful for being able to be in the space as well, as it is a space that is still warm with love and care that transpires physical boundaries.

Sincerely,

Thompson, Leege/D'Arcangelo, Wright, and Johnson families.