1085 E. Genesee Street
Office: 324 University Ave
Syracuse, NY 13210
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Greetings!
Here is your weekly news from UUMC.
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Pastor's Message - Pastor Alicia
Greetings,
I’m writing this with a heavy heart. It seems the last week or so has been tough given the recent decisions of the U. S. Supreme Court. The two most shocking decisions for me were the decision on open carry handguns and the reversal of Roe v Wade. I find during these times of lament, I go to scripture such as Psalms or Proverbs. (Ps 121: 1-4, Proverbs 2: 1-4)
You may be thinking, “you are a Christian pastor. I thought you’d be pleased.” As a progressive Christian and professional woman, I believe women are intelligent enough to make decisions for themselves and their families. I also believe that poor, low-income and women of color will be most affected by this reversal of rights. In addition, it seems we have had tragic events involving guns this year (and every year) in which we, as Christians, cry and pray and ask for change when it comes to gun safety. How is this keeping Americans safer?
There is not a one size fits all kind of answer when it comes to gun safety. There are several different kinds or guns, ammunition, users, purposes, situations that we can’t make one change, rule or regulation to fix the situation. For me the biggest piece of this debate is to listen and love one another through the conversations. “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” John 13:34. Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek. On the night, he was betrayed Jesus told his disciple to put down his sword. Loving one another includes encouraging not belittling someone for seeking help for mental illness. It also includes thinking of others as much as yourself when making rules, laws or regulations.
The reversal of Roe v Wade hit me harder than I thought it would. When I heard the news, I felt less than. It felt as though women all over the country were told they were not as smart, compassionate, moral or faith-filled as men. It felt like a set up to move women out of the workplace and positions of leadership because women of child bearing years take more time off work and their health insurance rates are higher than men’s. Not to mention the underlying current that women are not intelligent to make decisions. How could a women’s voice matter at the workplace or in a position of leadership if they are not intelligent or compassionate enough to make a decision about their own bodies?
I turned to the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church to learn the official stance of the UMC. Please read the full statement. It is found in the Social Principals paragraph 161K. https://www.umcjustice.org/who-we-are/social-principles-and-resolutions/the-nurturing-community-161/the-nurturing-community-abortion-161-k This claims all life is of sacred worth! God created humankind and called this good. (Genesis 1)
This week, as I lamented the loss of a right I’ve had my entire life, I read this scripture, Philippians 4: 3-5 “Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my coworkers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.”
I am able to rejoice always because I know the Lord is near even when I know in my heart I will keep using my voice until my daughter has the same rights I have had for almost 50 years. I am grateful for the love and presence of God in your life and in mine. Let us all do our best to love one another as Jesus has loved us in our lament, our frustration, our hurt, and our rejoicing.
Peace and Blessings,
Pastor Alicia
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The UUMC Legacy Circle Asks the Following Question:
Why is planning for the end of life important?
- Without well laid out plans, loved ones will find it arduous to sort out your
- affairs at an extraordinarily difficult time.
- At the time a loved one dies, loved ones may have difficulty recalling and
- honoring your wishes during the period of mourning.
- An end of life plan simplifies the many choices loved ones must make.
- An end of life plan helps to avoid disagreements among loved ones.
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Sunday Worship | 10:30 a.m.
In-Person and on Facebook Live
Click Below to Join Worship on Sunday
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Please note: Every worship service remains "live" on our Facebook page. You are able to watch every one that has been done since we began online worship. They never go away. If you are unable to begin at 10:30, you can watch it at your leisure another time.
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Worship | June 26, 2022
Have you ever noticed that American expressions about faith tend to have the attitude of a cowboy in the Wild West from the 1800’s? How might the saying “God helps those who help themselves” be only partly true? We’ll wrestle with this half-truth today. As we enter into worship today, let us settle our minds, our body, our hearts as we sing “Open My Eyes That I May See” verse one with the refrain.
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Scripture: Ps 121: 1-2
Worship Music
Prelude: My Shepherd Will Supply My Need - Dale Wood
Offertory: “A Simple Song” from Leonard Bernstein’s Mass; text by Stephen Schwartz and Leonard Bernstein) Sung by Julianna Sabol
Postlude: Morning Song - George Shearing
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UUMC Events Looking Ahead
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July Worship Series: "Half Truths" based on a book by Adam Hamilton.
July 1 & 4: UUMC office will be closed in honor of the July 4 holiday.
Emergency Food Box packing CANCELED Emergency
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Food Box & Diaper distribution CANCELED
- July’s Diaper distribution rescheduled for 7/8/2022
July 7: Peanut Butter packing party.
July 15-24: Galyn on vacation.
July 28: United Methodists at the Ball Park.
July 30: Leadership Retreat.
July 31: Worship at 10:30 a.m. “A Festival of Hymns” Led by Bruce Webster.
August Worship Series: “Like a Child.”
August 10 at 5:30-7:30 p.m.: SUMM Picnic at UUMC.
Volunteers needed to bring their grill from home, to grill hot dogs, pickup hot dogs/rolls, set up and clean up.
August 14-17: Worship workshop for all interested at UUMC.
October 4: Virtual Coffee with the Pastor resumes.
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Story from Outreach's Chairperson, Katie Flynn
The Community Breakfast has been a staple of UUMC for decades. The hot sit-down meal was the talk of the town before Covid hit. Twice a month we served eggs, pancakes, sausage, hash browns, cheesy grits with gravy, fresh fruit, cereal, orange juice and coffee in Fellowship Hall. Aside from the food, UUMC provided a safe and welcoming place for anyone who walked through the door. A place for people to connect with each other.
I started attending UUMC in 2010 and shortly afterwards became part of the regular breakfast crew. I’m not a morning person, but I usually tried to get there by 9am and stayed through cleanup. Around 2018, we added light bagel breakfasts on the 1st , 3rd , and 5th Sundays of each month. We moved upstairs into the Gathering Room where our guests could sit at tables or relax on the couches. The crowd was
smaller and with no hot food to prepare and clean up, only one volunteer was needed. Eventually, I became the volunteer.
At first, only a few people dropped in for a bagel and coffee, and most took it to go. But as the weeks passed more people came in and they started to stay for a bit. I saw a lot of the same faces week after week and eventually learned that a lot of the group came to us either before or after they stopped at the methadone clinic that was around the corner. It was obvious that the free food drew people in, but the sense of community made them stay. I know first hand how important it is to be part of a community of people who are experiencing the same thing you are. When I was waiting for my heart transplant, I lived in the hospital for 7 months. I spent a lot of time with two men who were doing the same thing. Those relationships made a huge difference in the success of my recovery! It’s no different than people recovering from addiction.
Josh started coming in with a group of friends. They would sit around the table in the Gathering Room and have breakfast together. When he was done eating, Josh would move over to the piano and play for everybody. Eventually the friends would leave but he would stay and play until church started. His brother came too and would sit and read books while Josh played. One week the three of us were talking and realized that we were the same age, grew up in neighboring towns, and had friends in common. Aside from their struggles with addiction, these guys were just like me! It could easily be one of my sisters, or my best friend, or even me, in that position. That’s why I’m so committed to serving this population.
When the pandemic hit, we continued to see people walk from the clinic to meet us on the corner where we served bagged breakfasts. Most businesses were closed and work was scarce, but we offered free, nutrient-dense meals to go. We couldn’t offer a place to meet anymore but we did fill a HUGE need for a year and a half with our food offerings. Then, about a year ago, the clinic on Crouse Ave moved to a brand-new building on Erie Boulevard and we lost a lot of our friends. We knew they still needed our help, we just had to find a way to deliver it.
Galyn worked for several months to establish a connection with the program staff at Pomeroy Treatment Center. They were more than happy to partner with us to provide food to their patients. It’s next to impossible to focus on overcoming addiction when you don’t know where your next meal will come from. About 2 months ago, we started bringing 100 bagged breakfasts to the clinic on Sunday mornings. It has been amazing reconnecting with friends I haven’t seen in over a year! 100 sounds like a lot but the need is so great that we have run out of food in under 45 minutes every week! Our challenge now is to rise to meet that need by building our volunteer pool and finding more financial support. I’d like to challenge you to take some time to consider how you can help us feed God’s people body, mind, and spirit.
Katie Flynn, Outreach Committee Chair & Enthusiastic Bagel Breakfast volunteer
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Closings & Cancellations
Monday, July 4, 2022
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University United Methodist Church CLOSED (4th of July Holiday)
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UUMC Outreach Clothing Closet
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The clothing closet is open every Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon.
Donations can be scheduled or inquired about by emailing Galyn at outreach@uumcsyracuse.org. See our website for a list of accepted materials.
Your continued donations and support have been appreciated! Thank you!
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July Volunteer Opportunities
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July, University United
Methodist Church
Volunteer Registration
Please review the available slots and click the button to sign up!
Location: UUMC
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Please see the attached Youtube video for more information.
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Ongoing Requests
Men’s S, M & L briefs (underwear) | Women’s underwear & Bras | Socks
new or gently used
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Volunteer Event Challenge!
Pastor Alicia has issued a challenge for everyone in the congregation to give back. Between June and October, she would like you to attend at least one volunteer event.
Volunteers options are:
- Tuesday morning, food truck unloading.
- Thursday morning, Support clothing closet guests, fill condiment containers (first Thursday of the month) and packing of the food boxes.
- Fridays mornings, Food Distribution
- Sunday mornings for our weekly Breakfast.
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Register for New Member Class
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Due to several inquiries about becoming a member, we are planning our next New Member Class in the month of July. If you are interested in signing up for the class please contact Michelle in the church office at 315-475-7277 or office@uumcsyracuse.org.
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July Hymn Sing begins July 3rd!
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Save The Date!
The annual SUMM picnic will be hosted at University church this year, save the date! Wednesday August 10th at 6:00 PM. Look for more details to come.
Volunteers needed to bring their grill from home, to grill hot dogs, pickup hot dogs/rolls, set up and clean up.
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UUMC Livestream Update
Due to supply chain issues the new UUMC Livestream has been delayed. We are eagerly awaiting the rest of the equipment and anticipate it to up and running by the end of July.
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ADA All Gendered Bathroom Door in the Gathering Room Has Been Fixed
Please use the buttons to access and lock the door once inside.
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Zimmerman Missionary Report
Deirdre and Mark Zimmerman along with their children, Zachary and Benjamin have been doing God's work on their missionary trip to Nepal. Click here to read more.
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Please note: Prayer requests and comments submitted in the chat during our online service are public knowledge, as the church’s Facebook page is open to all.
As a caring church, we hold one another in prayer. The names in the next sentence are selected each week from the church directory, generally in alphabetical order. This week, please pray for:
Josh DeHoog, Ronal Denby & Alice Makul
The requests list below come from the previous Sunday’s worship and those received during the week.
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Amy: My 25 year old daughter has a CT scan this week for a mass on he liver. Please pray that it is gone when they do the test!
Ann O.: Healing prayers from Covid.
Ann O.: For half of our population who have lost their rights.
Ann O.: For the people of the Ukraine.
Ann O.: For all of us who have been placed at greater risk by the Supreme Court decision on guns.
Anonymous: Praise the Lord for all of the people we touched yesterday with God’s love for all.
Anonymous: Thank you for all of your prayers for my Father-In-Law Gerry. He went peacefully to heaven last weekend and now I ask for prayers as we navigate our lives without his earthly presence.
Anonymous: Happy 60th Birthday Steve Bacon.
Carol & Tom: Prayers for a friend undergoing tests for cancer.
Carolyn S.: Praying that the whole family stays safe
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Grace B.: Prayers for mouth cancer.
Jeanne FS: my niece’s baby arrived 5 weeks early but now the Mom and Dad have COVID.
Joyce Y.: Prayers for Derrick Anderson to stay safe and healthy with family.
Kim: For Jayne & me for healing from surgery.
Kim: For all the victims in Afghanistan.
Kim: For all LBGTQ+ children & teens.
Laurie S.: Prayers for those who are hurting
Mamie: Give a prayer for my kids & my social skills: keeping me first. Allow his will & not mine. As always God Bless Everyone.
Sherri C.: Prayers for comfort for Sue and family. Jayne and family. Rich., Stephanie. Prayers for Peace.
Willie K.: For my family members who are suffering.
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The Vanishing Half
The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities.
Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined.
What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect? Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing.
Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins. As with her New York Times-bestselling debut The Mothers, Brit Bennett offers an engrossing page-turner about family and relationships that is immersive and provocative, compassionate and wise.
There are 47 copies in the Onondaga County Public System.
The author, Brit Bennett, will give a lecture at the Civic Center in Syracuse on Tues Sept 13. The talk is sponsored by Friends of the Central Library.
As our community’s social justice interfaith network, ACTS is hopeful that dialog will bring greater awareness and action. There are more than 30 regular members of the book club from 13+ different congregations with an average of a dozen or more persons participating each month. Come once or come often to share your thoughts with others on the journey.
To make your registration for the August 29 gathering, email petersarverACTS@gmail.com Zoom link will be sent to regular members and those registered closer to the discussion date.
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MOVING PEOPLE CNY
Since Moving People Transportation Coalition emerged out of an ACTS Task Force more than 9 years ago, our primary focus has been on the I-81 replacement process.
Now that we’ve won the victory of the Community Grid as the final decision for this huge infrastructure project, Moving People is exploring a shift of our primary focus to Public Transportation as a set of social justice issues.
CENTRO’s service, particularly the potential introduction of BRT [Bus Rapid Transit], in the Syracuse area has long been on our action agenda. See attached preliminary statement.
Yesterday, the Moving People planning group along with an expanded set of stakeholders met to hear about Reconnect Rochester. Go to https://reconnectrochester.org/ We were encouraged to learn about what a grassroots group could do to improve things.
We were grateful to Rev. Linda Briggs, ACTS Lead Organizer, and Hopps Memorial CME Church for hosting the event.
Moving People will continue to monitor developments with the I-81 rebuild and with the expansion of employment opportunities through our active participation in the Urban Jobs Task Force. We will also be closely watching I-81 rebuild’s impact on housing and urban design issues for our community.
P.S. $1 billion plan for Syracuse neighborhood near I-81 revealed: housing, high school stadium, other surprises
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"I think we’re in a very, very sad and difficult time. I know that some will be celebrating this. … We are already a fractured country; this is going to fracture us more.” — The Rev. Kennetha Bigham-Tsai, a veteran General Conference delegate, about the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
United Methodists react to end of Roe v. Wade
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — United Methodists on all sides of the abortion issue were alternately stunned and satisfied after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Roe v. Wade would no longer be the law of the land. Jim Patterson has the story.
Missouri Conference
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Daily Anti-Racism Prayers
Discipleship Ministries of the United Methodist Church offers anti-racism prayers emailed to you Monday through Friday. To sign up to receive them, click the link below.
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Please click the link below to read United Methodist news from around the country and world on UM News Digest.
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A direct and compelling headline
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