Reverend Denis Paul, Minister

revdenispaul@gmail.com Minister's Calendar

Worship In Person and Online at 10:00 am

"The Responsibilites"

Rev. Denis Paul

There were the Canaanites, the Moabites, and of course the Israelites. But what about the Responsibilites? What did they have to teach us about ourselves?

Order of Service

Our theme this month is

Heritage

Wow, I really loved doing a funny duet with Rev. Denis last week. And I want to emphasize how much that was vastly outside of his comfort zone, but he did it anyway. That takes a lot of courage and vulnerability. And it shows his dedication to this congregation as he models doing something that is a little scary but that serves a greater purpose. So I hope that even if thinking about having a Sidekick is outside of your comfort zone, that you lean in and try it. See details below.

And for our theme of Heritage, check out Abigail DeVille Listens to History and What is generational trauma?

Lee Cowan, DRE

Masks Are Now Optional in the Sanctuary

READ UPDATE

I just came across this paragraph in Granta, a literary magazine, in a 2002 essay by Arthur Miller.

In the early Sixties truckers still took rooms without baths on the second floor [of the Chelsea Hotel where I was living] and parked their immense rigs out front overnight, and the Automat was still on the corner of 7th. There I often had breakfast with Arthur C. Clarke, who in his dry Unitarian-minister manner tried to explain to me why whole new populations would soon be living in space. Feigning interest in this absurdity I wondered what the point of living in space would be. ‘What was the point of Columbus wanting to cross the ocean?’ I supposed he was right, but not really. Meantime at tables around us numerous street people were hugging their coffee mugs to delay ejection into rain and wind, and would ultimately drive the Automat out of the area with their unappetizing ear and nose-picking, quick fights, copious coughing fits and exhausted deep sleeps from which the manager could sometimes not awaken them. At the time I doubt that either Clarke or I registered the strange contrast between his cloudy space-talk and the grimy Automat reality. But unlike space it was the reality that would soon disappear from public view, tucked away in shelters for the homeless.

Of course, I stopped at the description of Arthur C. Clarke having a dry Unitarian-minister manner. Was the famous writer, inventor and futurist really a Unitarian minister? I thought I’d missed something. No, I hadn’t missed anything. Not only was he not a Unitarian minister, there’s no record of him ever even darkening the threshold of any Unitarian meeting house. Or Universalist Church. Or UU Congregation. Nothing.

I googled the phrase “Arthur C. Clarke Unitarian,” and all I got was a piece in “Monkey Mind,” a Buddhist zine, noting that Clarke, the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, was gay. Which was news to me. The article was written by my friend Rev. James Ford who served First U in Providence for a million years (okay, 7) before retiring to Long Beach, cities both of us have lived in at different times. 

None of that information serves any purpose other than tickling my funny bone. Unexpected, nearly-invisible threads of connection always make me chuckle, even when I know I’m the only person who would ever notice or care. 

What the essay in Granta really did for me was remind me of all those gritty places in Providence and Long Beach and San Francisco and Cleveland and so many other cities that contain the lives, dramas, and absolute boredom of the people who have nowhere else to go. 

The essay in Granta made me wonder, even after I put it together that Arthur C. Clarke was not in fact a Unitarian minister, what our role is as ministers — and congregations for that matter — to think about the future. Isn’t that what being prophetic is about? Paying enough attention to the world around us to be able to see where it’s headed?



I just hope that when I talk about our future I don’t have a “dry Unitarian-minister manner.” That just doesn’t sound compelling.

In Peace,

Rev Denis

Sidekicks



Were you expecting Prince Harry and the Duchess Meghan?

Sometimes, great pairs are the pairs you would never expect. That’s why we want to pair you up with someone you might not otherwise connect with.

“Sidekicks” is a way of encouraging all of us at UUCSC to develop new, unexpected friendships.

Let Lee or Rev Denis know you’re interested, fill out the simple form here and

see who we pair you with. You don’t have to come up with an entertaining duet performance. Maybe just go for to the beach or have tea together…. And see what comes of it.

Sidekicks may just be a new way to help you be you. #UBeU

UUCSC September Board Minutes

Men's Breakfast

Saturday, October 7th

9 am

Phil's in Wakefield

Paddling

on Tucker Pond

Meet at the boat launch on Tuckertown Road near White Pond Road.



Tuesday, October 10 at 3PM, weather permitting

Contact Rev Denis for more details.

UUCSC will have a table at the “Scarecrows for SK” as part of South Kingstown’s 300^th Anniversary Celebration on October 22nd from 1pm-4pm. Come join us! And if you have anything to add to the scarecrow we are building in RE, bring it this Sunday or the 15th!

The event flyer is HERE.

Submitted by Lee Cowan

Oct. 19th at 10:30: Bringing UU Faith Home

A workshop for anyone looking to bring our faith into daily home life

Nov. 9th at 10:30: Neurodiversity

A presentation and discussion to deepen our understanding of the diverse spectrum of neurological experience

For more info and to register email Lee Cowan

Kundalini Yoga: Autumn Series with Jessie Gloor

Thursdays 5:00 - 6:30 pm, Oneto Room, UUCSC

Mostly alternate weeks on Oct 12, 26; Nov 9, 30; Dec 14, 28.

We need 6 folks for this series to run: $72 for the series; $15 to drop in. Bring your own mats & cushions.



Contact Adria or Nancy Dean with questions.

October Beverages and Banter

Meeting at Audrey's Coffee Shop in South County Commons

Tuesday, October 10,

at 10 am

Thursday, October 26,

at 3 pm

Upcoming Services

October 15 J'ai Faim Rev. Denis

October 22 Touched by Grace: from Political to Spiritual Activism

Judith Sutphen

October 29 The Great Decluttering Rev. Denis

November 5 Hope, and Keep Busy Rev. Denis

UUCSC Anti-Racism Group

Monday, October 9, 2023 7:00 PM

on Zoom

(Link is also on the church calendar.)

The topic for Monday is Immigration, one of the hottest current news items in America and the world and especially appropriate on Indigenous Peoples Day. Come and share your opinions and insights about this complex problem. Don't know what to think? HERE is an excellent opinion article that provides a starting point. Etta Zasloff will lead this open discussion.

Coming October 23 – Dr. Rae Ferguson, URI Professor Emerita, historian and activist will speak on Living Intersectionality

The UUCSC Anti Racism Group is open to all and meets

every month, September thru June on 2nd and 4th Mondays.

Minutes of last meeting.

Submitted by Cathy Solomon

Together Women Rise

Wednesday, October 11 at 5:30 pm 

St James Chapel 

2079 Schoolhouse Rd.

Charlestown, RI 02813

Please bring a dish to share, and your own plates and eating utensil

Our October grantee is Girl Rising. Its mission is to use the power of storytelling to change the way the world values girls and their education. 

Please RSVP to hsiumei.fang22@gmail.com by Sunday, Oct. 8th. 

Submitted by Abby Fang, Charlestown Chapter Leader

The UU Legislative Forum, hosted by the UU Legislative Ministry of RI which represents all UU congregations in the state, is an opportunity to learn more about the Social Justice issues that are being debated at the state level. You will hear from trusted experts on the topics of Gun Safety, Poverty, Racial Justice, and the Environment and what can be done to get needed legislation passed. You will have an opportunity to give your feedback on what issues are most important to you! So please register at uulmri.ticketleap.com/legislative-forum/ for this event and learn more.

More information and the agenda available HERE.

Submitted by Cathy Solomon

Courageous Conversations:  Preventing Violent Extremism

FREE

Tuesdays, October 24, November 7, November 14

7:00-8:15 pm in the UUCSC Sanctuary

Facilitated by Nancy Richman and Barbara (Bina) Holtzman

October 24:       Why Media Literacy Matters

What is media literacy and how can it help people

to respond to disinformation & hoaxes?

November 7:    Preventing Violent Extremism 

How is violent extremism affecting our society

and what can we do about it?

November 14:  Falling Down the Rabbit Hole 

What can you do to support people in your life

who may be moving towards radicalization?

For additional information, click HERE. 

Registration is required. For questions or to register please email nrichman618@gmail.com.

 Include your 1) name, 2) phone number, 3) dates you plan to attend.

Dining for Dollars Plus 2023 Coming Events

Hosts should reach out to those who had winning bids for their event and provide necessary specifics (i.e. street address, parking info, phone, rain plans if needed, etc.).

Winning bidders, Mark your calendars – you don’t want to miss your event!

Everyone – if you have any questions or need D4$+ information, please contact Betsy Dalton at elizabethmdalton@gmail.com or by phone (her number is in the UUCSC Directory).

Community Sewing Space

1st and 3rd Tuesdays

Join us between 4 and 8 pm in the Oneto Room where experienced sewers will be on hand to help you with your projects.

For further information please contact Rosemary Galiani 401.783.5472 or Nancy Dean 401.824.4609

Clean Team News

The Clean Team is looking for a few more volunteers! Contact Nancy Dean at (401) 824-4609 for more information. Persons interested in cleaning the RE space can speak with the RE Director Lee Cowan as well. Thank you!

Submitted by Nancy Dean

UUCSC Book Group Anyone?



BC (Before COVID) we had a Book Group at UUCSC. If you are interested in seeing it restored, please call, email or text Linda Whyte Burrell. Let me know your choice of day of the week and time of day or evening. Contact info is in the Congregational Directory.

The Lost Voices

of Smith's Castle

Tours of Smith's Castle (in North Kingstown) with a special focus on those enslaved at Smith's Castle and the history of slavery in Rhode Island will be offered on October 7th and 21st. Times and more information here. Several UUCSC members are going on Oct. 7. Meet at UUCSC at 8:45 AM to carpool to the 9:30 event.

Submitted by Cathy Solomon

Thanksgiving Reading

As we are coming up to the season of Thanksgiving and all of the complicated questions it raises, please join me in reading this book (and please consider purchasing through the Tomaquag Museum if you can).

The Mourning Road to Thanksgiving is the 2015 WordCraft Circle of Honors Winner: Best Young Adult Novel of the Year.

Submitted by Bethany Sorrentino

Judi Marcy and Suzanne Marcy are going through a hard time and would appreciate cards and good wishes. Their address in last week's newsletter was incorrect. Please use 45 Beech Hill Road, Wakefield, RI 02879.

Submitted by Val Follett

Don't become victim to a SCAM!

Review Understanding Phishing!

If you receive a suspicious email, drag it into your Spam folder, which will automatically block the scammer from using your email again as bait. Stay vigilant!

How to Amend Your Pledge

In addition to your pledge, if you are 70 ½ years of age or older, you may donate up to $100,000.00 each year to UUCSC or other charities from your IRA account. Such a donation does not count as taxable income to you if made directly from your IRA account to the charity. Read more here.

Submitted by the Finance Committee

Michael Bilecki will recycle your batteries.

Deposit them in the container in the Oneto Room!

Read more here.



CAROLYN STEERE HURDIS FUND

FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

Grant Guidelines and Application

Bethany Sorrentino, Helping Hands Coordinator

uuhelpinghands@gmail.com or 401-451-4104. 

Don't be afraid to ask for help - helping hands are here! 

Helping hand volunteers are also needed.

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