FEBRUARY 18-19, 2023 - 10 Lyons Plains Road Westport, CT 06880 - Phone: 203.227.7205
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Saturday 12-4:00 PM and Sunday 9:30 -9:50 AM: Brown bag lunch donations to support John Street Outreach. Sign up HERE; click HERE for instructions. Contact David Vita.
Our Brown Bag Lunch Outreach has provided over 29,000 lunches to people in Bridgeport since covid began nearly 3 years ago. Behind every one of those lunches there is a story. Teryl Eisenberg recounts one.
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2023
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WORSHIP SERVICE: 10:00 AM
“TOWARDS A MORE RADICAL LOVE” – REV. DR. JOHN MOREHOUSE
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Dr. King’s vision of America was simple: Love over hate. How can we bring that vision to life.
Click HERE for the Order of Service. The service will be in person and virtual; attendance guidelines are HERE. Broadcast of the service is available at uuwestport.org/livestream.
Offering can be made on VENMO ("The Unitarian Church in Westport"), on vop.tucw.org, or feel free to mail in cash or check.
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Sunday, February 26, 2023 at 10:00 AM
“Radical Love” – Carrie McEvoy
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Please wear your nametag on Sunday mornings: it's helpful for all of us to be connected with each other. If you've lost yours, let an usher know, and we'll get a new one made up for you. Or you can contact Ruth in the office. 203.227.7205 x 10.
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SAVE THE DATE: Faith Formation Family Feast - March 19 after service (11:30-ish)
Where: Meeting House. What to Bring: Food to Share. Why: Family Fellowship.
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Please click HERE to find out more about our Faith Formation programs, or contact Nate Pawelek. All are always welcome to be with us.
Nursery care available for babies and toddlers at 9:45 AM downstairs in the sanctuary building. Our ushers can help you find your way.
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There are no Faith Formation classes this Sunday, including the High School Youth Group, due to the President’s Day holiday weekend. That said, Rev. John will be telling a Story for All during the worship service, and Trevor Cooper is on hand to be with the children for informal fun at the playground!
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Great news! Last Sunday’s Share the Plate offering to support the middle school trip to Washington, DC raised $1125.69! This contribution came from 183 people who were present in our sanctuary on Sunday, a strong showing! Additionally, the high school youth group raised $422 from their soup sale!
The Witness Stones Project middle schoolers depart for DC on Friday and will return on Sunday. If you want to follow their journey, click HERE to view their itinerary. And if you want to see a great video Nate made about the project, click HERE.
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Check out these pics of the youth group sleepover last weekend
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Learning about Appalachia folklore
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THE NAMING COMMITTEE RECOGNIZED AS OUR LEADING LIGHTS
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The Leadership Development Team is delighted to recognize the Naming Committee as our Leading Lights for the months of February and March. Congratulations to Rob Zuckerman, Sudha Sankar, Carolyn Gundell, Rob Herman, Luisa Francouer, and Randy Burnham. Their efforts in helping everyone in our congregation consider our name change, and then leading us through a measured, transparent and democratic process has been an example for all of us. They navigated delicate and sensitive communications, encountered unexpected challenges with a steady hand, and devoted innumerable hours to guiding our community to an important closing step. They shepherded our flock of disparate voices to land on a final choice that we could then discuss and vote on. Each brought their own unique gifts and worked together to a shared outcome. In this they have exemplified servant leadership and teamwork for all of us to emulate. We are grateful to have each of them in our wonderful community!
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WHAT FUN LAST WEEKEND! CABARET! ORCHESTRA! SOUP! PIZZA!
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Thank you Rev Ed and the Music Committee for putting the evening together.
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Grandmother Nancy sports
a new look!
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It was a full house. For more pics of the Cabaret, click HERE.
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Yay UU Westport orchestra!
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Getting to know new friends
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at the Meeting House. Thank you Jim Cooper.
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FINANCE 101 (6): FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
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What exactly is the Financial Sustainability team up to these days? Well, we have been looking at our numbers from a historical perspective, and thinking through how best to use ALL our assets to continue our good mission-driven work: to help us all be more personally Inspired; be more Connected with each other; and to Act in powerful ways to serve the causes of peace and justice we care about.
Our assets are many. First and foremost: our incredibly vibrant congregation that pitches in when needed and is passionate about our future. We have two dedicated and strong ministers who guide us with spiritual wisdom and inspiring music; a gorgeous building and campus; a Sunday service that has survived COVID and is roaring back to life; multiple kids' programs that are getting more active with every Sunday; a livestream capability that delivers sophisticated sound and video; a powerful and active set of social justice programs that are making a difference in people's lives; plenty of opportunities for connections via our pastoral care network, our caring network, the women's group and the men's Better Man, to name but a few! And of course our multiple choirs that enrich our services every Sunday. All this (and more!) on top of the rich heritage of Unitarian Universalism and the many different faith traditions we bring to each other each Sunday. More practically, we have a strong endowment, and a finance committee that is skilled at helping us tap into monies wherever they come from, including state and federal programs.
And yet, we do need to be looking forward, and for now, we know that we need to consider carefully all these assets and how best to leverage them: are we using all our dollars, and other assets - physical and intangible - in the best ways possible? Can we use them in new or different ways to strengthen our community, while also increasing revenues? Are there opportunities to use our (tight!) financial resources more efficiently? Indeed, can we boost our revenues - beyond what our annual Stewardship campaign will deliver - even as we look closely at our annual expenses?
The Financial Sustainability team, set up by the Board, is doing just that: looking to the future with creative ideas while paying close attention to our current numbers and trends. We have generated some possible new revenue sources beyond, for example, our annual pledge drive and traditional fundraising: a Large Donor program for capital improvements; an Innovation fund to support congregants' ideas for projects that might go well with our mission and community (a coffee house in the Meeting House? pickle ball in the parking lot, anyone?!); solar power; maybe something to draw in more of the preschool parents and children. These ideas (and others) need to be fleshed out and quantified: some will not make it past "the cutting room floor" but at least we will have thought them through. And for sure we are working hard to figure out how to shave off expenses: very difficult, but we're doing all we can.
We have a dedicated team looking at all this, AND we welcome more folks to help us with this effort. As we work with Barry Finkelstein and Rachel Maxwell of Stewardship For Us, we can always use more people and more ideas about how best to leverage our special congregational gifts. Please see Steve Grathwohl, Brian Lasher, Beth Cliff or Rev. John if you'd like to know more about how you can help.
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Our complete calendar is always on our website. Click HERE for quick access
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UU Meditation, 9:00-9:40 AM Sundays. Hybrid. A UU mix of mindfulness, discourse, relaxation, visualization and silence. In person and on ZOOM. Contact Janet Luongo to receive updates and notifications of location for this week's session.
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PAST SERMONS/SERVICES
Our sermons are archived on the website HERE.
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"The Weight of Love"
Rev. Dr. John Morehouse
February 12, 2023
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Available 24 hours. Languages: English, Spanish.
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PASTORAL CARE
If you are going through a challenging time or know somebody in the congregation who needs support from our Pastoral Care Chaplains, call to leave a confidential message in the PCA voice mailbox 203-227-7205 ext. 19 or email pca@uuwestport.org.
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CARING NETWORK
Our support network is available to provide tangible help for friends in need: meal delivery, pharmacy runs, grocery shopping, a regular phone call of connection. Contact a minister or coordinators Dorothy Rich,or Diane Cano,
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ADDICTION RECOVERY
For individuals or families of our congregation seeking confidential support or information about addiction issues. Please contact our Addiction Recovery Ministry by calling 203-227-7205 ext. 19 or emailing pca@uuwestport.org
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The Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport is a diverse and welcoming religious community, free of creed and dogma, and open to people of all backgrounds and beliefs.
WE INSPIRE and support individual spiritual growth.
WE CONNECT through worship, music, learning, and caring ministries.
WE ACT in the service of peace and justice.
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