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Celebrating Life
Empowering People,
Caring for One Another,
Helping to Build a Better World
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UUCSR
Newsletter
July 2021
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Sunday Services are at 10:30 am
https://zoom.us/j/95051583307
Past services are archived on the
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July 4th
Happy Interdependence Day!
Let us celebrate our interdependence with other UUs! On this day, please consider joining one of our North Bay neighbor congregations - or any congregation throughout the country - for their service. Visit their websites for more information.
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July 11th
SERVICE LEADER: Rev. Dara
In our final COVID-era group service, please join the North Bay Congregation in fellowship and reflection.
A NORTH BAY SHARED UU SERVICE
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July 18th
SERVICE LEADERS: Worship Associate Veronica Jordan, Era Capone
MUSIC: Sally Jones and Allan Bell
Welcome back, UUCSR Congregants to our beloved sanctuary to worship together for the first time in 17 months. Please join us as we gather again in person. This will be a worship associate-led service. Please check the website for updates.
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July 25th
SERVICE LEADERS: Rev. Bonnie Dlott, Era Capone
MUSIC: Roger Corman
Rev. Bonnie Dlott, our own sabbatical minister, will lead the congregation on our last service of July. Please check the website for updates.
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- President's Message
- From the Board of Trustees
- Treasurer's Monthly Ledger
- Religious Education / Family Ministry
- Director's Notes
- Sustaining Pledge Message
- CUUPS
- Diversity Project Offerings
- Share the Basket/Advocates for Social Justice
- Musical Notes
- Committees/Groups/Events
- Soul Matters
Please "like" and "follow" us on FACEBOOK
to stay abreast of the latest news and events
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Lessons I am Learning
Through this incredibly difficult time, there are some things I am learning.
The power of covenant. Those words have never had more meaning for me than they do now. When I have felt lost and scared and unsure of what is coming, or when I know someone is probably going to disagree with me, I have leaned into our UUCSR Covenant. And I have seen, in action, how it shifts people’s interactions. And in this terribly reactive, right/wrong, confrontative culture we live in these days, that we are all living so much in covenant with each other gives me strength and hope.
The power of listening. I have not spoken on the Focus list, on purpose. I wanted to listen, to let in, to HEAR. I have read every post, and I have shared many of the feelings you wrote. I have strived to do the same in our Board meetings and in our Listening Circles. I’m finding that it’s only in listening, and listening deeply, that I can find truth. And in doing that, I am finding out how remarkable we each are.
The power of love. I had a long conversation the other day with someone on the “other side” of this, and ended it with telling her that I loved her. We may agree and we may disagree, but I know and honor and respect – and love – you, and that underlies everything. Sometimes love isn’t sweet and gentle; sometimes it’s pretty muscular. And I am seeing how love will pull us through.
The power of an open heart. My heart has just been cracked open with all of this. I see those around me so much more deeply and clearly, and I am humbled and blown away by your courage, strength, generosity, caring, deep compassion, and honesty. I have been brought to tears by witnessing the courage and strength so many of us have brought to this terribly difficult situation. And I am so grateful for the people around me. I could not be who I am without them. We truly are an interconnected web, supporting, building up and making each other better and stronger, and that is very real for me now.
The power of grief. I have cried in the shower. I have yelled in the shower! (The stages of grief are real, I’m discovering.) I have been all over the map, and I have felt how strong those feelings can be. They have stopped me in my tracks, and then let go… and then come back and taken me over, and then ebbed away. Many times, over and over, in the course of a day. And when I’ve been taken over, I’ve discovered that it’s the people that know me and love me that pull me through and bring me back to myself. I’ve discovered that grief shared is grief lessened.
And most of all, the power of Unitarian Universalism. I have been watching Unitarian Universalism in action. It's messy. It’s hard. It’s muscular. It’s forced me to look deep into myself, into those uncomfortable places. But it’s also given me light and direction. Living up to our Principles is not easy, but I have been working every day through this to do that. I’m a human being; I freely admit I’ve failed. But I am becoming a better, stronger person for the trying. If I ever wondered, now I know – this is a faith I can count on. This is a faith that will carry me – and us – through.
In grief, in sadness, in love, and in faith,
Natalie
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From the Board of Trustees
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This is a rather historical report, as this all happened at the very beginning of this painful, difficult situation. But here is what we discussed in the open meeting on June 17th:
Gretchen Vap from the Health Advisory Team outlined plans for re-opening the Congregation. Early results from the congregational survey on re-opening show lots of enthusiasm for in-person Sunday services, and a continuation of online access as well. Our return to in-person services will be July 18th and 25th. All attendees who are able do so will be asked to wear a mask, as a way to ease the transition back to indoor services. As you face the chancel, the left-hand section of the pews will be designated for people who wish to maintain social distancing. The basket will be passed as before, because we now know that COVID-19 transmission via touch is negligible. Everyone at the podium and on the chancel will be fully vaccinated and may remove masks when speaking or singing. Congregants will be asked to keep masks on for singing and responsive readings. Social hour will be outside only, in the courtyard, and only coffee/tea/water will be served. (Later note: the Health Advisory Team continues to monitor state and CDC guidelines, and our policy will change as necessary to comply with them.)
Beginning in August, congregants will be encouraged to mask or not, based on their situation (including medical advice), and individual preferences. Being UUs, we’ll happily honor and respect those decisions!
The Board approved this approach to re-opening. The Health Advisory Team will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation in Sonoma County going forward, advise the Board, and update our policies as needed.
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Treasurer's Monthly Ledger
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Dear Fellow UUs—
The sad and shocking events of the last weeks of June have been extremely difficult for everyone in our beloved community. The Finance Team has been hit particularly hard, because the actions of Dr. Bell had, and are projected to have, serious financial implications for the UUCSR.
In the weeks and months ahead, the Finance Team, Congregational Director, Interim Minister, and the Board will seek to identify the weaknesses in our oversight structures that allowed us to become so vulnerable.
Among these will be tightening up the reporting of sick and vacation time by the Minister so that our records are accurate and up-to-date. If any employee, including the Minister, agrees to pay a portion of medical insurance (for a dependent, for instance), we need to have a system to see that these payments are made. And obviously, the administration of Short-Term Disability needs to be reviewed and internal procedures developed to ensure that UUCSR does not overpay employees who are simultaneously receiving benefits from the State.
We do not yet know what, if any, financial penalties the State will assess, but it could be close to $10,000. We will let you know what the final determination is as soon as possible.
Since we have not yet been able to hire a permanent bookkeeper, Kirsten Olney has graciously volunteered to keep things going while the search continues, with the support of our Congregational Director, Kate Taylor.
I expect that we will have accurate and complete year-end reports by the end of July, perhaps sooner. No one is looking forward to a return to normal more than I am!
In Fellowship,
Jane DeYoung
Treasurer
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Religious Education / Family Ministry
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Hello everyone,
June was quite the exciting month for RE. With a full return to in-person gatherings, UUCSR families got the chance to join us live for Sunday mornings, UU Parenting, and game and movie nights. Now in July, we are looking to add even more in-person activities and events to bring RE families together!
If you would like to keep up to date on the latest in RE, check out our RE Weekly Newsletter, or email me directly at dre@uusantarosa.org. I am always thrilled to receive questions, comments, and feedback, and I would love to hear from you!
In love and gratitude,
Era Capone
Director of Religious Education
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Sunday, July 4th - No RE on this Day
Sunday, July 11th - Maker's Space
This Sunday, the RE kids are getting creative! They'll hear the story Roxaboxen by Alice McLarren, a celebration of the imagination of children who can create whole worlds out of what they find around them. After the story, the kids will have free reign of building materials to rebuild the courtyard in their image!
Sunday, July 18th - Healing Circle
This Sunday, the kids of RE will be participating in our congregation's healing from Rev. Chris's departure.
Sunday, July 25th - Hello and Goodbye
This Sunday, the RE kids will be saying goodbye to our beloved RE program assistant Kayli Bland, who is moving to Michigan at the end of the month. The kids will also be preparing a welcoming "hello" to our new interim minister Rev. Julie Brock, who is coming to our congregation from Michigan. The morning will be full of crafts, cards, cookie decoration, and more as they say goodbye to Kayli and prepare a big welcome to Rev. Julie!
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Greetings!
It's my honor to join the UUCSR as its first Congregational Director. Thank you for having me and for your warm welcome!
These first few weeks on the job have been filled to the brim with trainings, learning, uncovering, and discovering. I appreciate the grace and patience you have extended - and continue to extend! - as I get my bearings.
As the congregation returns for in-person services and meetings, and as the Glaser Center reopens to the general public, organizational functions and features will come back online as the capacity to handle the influx is gradually expanded.
In many ways we are embarking on a fresh start post-pandemic. The best parts of this organization will continue onward, and new processes are coming to make each person's experience even better. Thank you for learning and growing with me through the changes! The Director's Notes will feature timely updates and announcements to facilitate our shared understanding of stewarding this special place and community.
Warmest regards,
Kate Taylor
(707) 568-5381 x 106
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Newsletter Submissions - Please email your newsletter submissions to me at administrator@uusantarosa.org. The submission deadline is the 20th of each month, with an anticipated publication date of the 25th of each month.
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Reopening Cleaning Party - Calling all cleaning collaborators! On July 10th, we will be coming together to give the Glaser Center some TLC as we prepare for reopening. Please stop by for any amount of time between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm to help freshen up the common areas. Supplies will be provided, as will be refreshments throughout the day. We will organize into crews based on interest, and together we will experience how many hands make for light work.
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Office Angels - Starting in July, we will be seeking volunteers to answer the main phone line, forward or respond to voicemails, greet walk-in visitors, sort mail, and other reception services. Reception hours will be roughly 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. If you are interested in an ongoing volunteer activity 1 or more days a week, we'd like to hear from you! Please contact Kate Taylor for more information. Training will be provided.
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Meeting Space Set-Up and Leave-Taking - At the start of each week, our esteemed Sexton, Peter Wilson, will reset each meeting space in its "resting" configuration. In meeting rooms, that will most often be in a circle of chairs. In the Courtyard, it is four tables with four chairs around each. In the Social Hall, it is three rounds tables with four chairs around each. As reopening brings many more people and groups to the Glaser Center, please feel free to reconfigure the space to accommodate the needs of your group or activity, and then kindly return the space to its "resting configuration" before departure.
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Coffee Corner Remodel - The Ops Team is currently evaluating bids to commence the remodeling of the coffee corner of the Social Hall. It is expected that the remodel will take place in stages over August and September. The Ops Team will coordinate with the Saturday Breakfast crews on transitional logistics for continuity of service. Thank you for your patience as these improvements are made!
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Pledge now for the new fiscal year (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022)!
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Perhaps you think you're already "pledging" because you're giving regularly. But making an actual pledge - a promise to make a contribution - for the new fiscal year is enormously helpful. Your pledge helps us know more accurately how much income the congregation will receive and to plan our activities accordingly.
Thank you for support our beloved community.
Sincerely,
The Sustaining Pledge Team
Carol Kraemer (Chair), Jane deYoung (ex officio), Mary Lill Lee, Helga Lemke,
To make your new pledge
for 2021-2022!
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JULY’S FULL MOON
If you would like a reason to dress up, the wearing of celebratory celestial attire is very much encouraged in honor of the full moon.
The July full moon has many appropriate names around the world. Thunder or Storm Moon, also called the Hay Moon because of the thunder storms in July, so you need to “make hay while the sun shines”. Then on the first of August you would have your ‘first grain’ celebration; Lammas, where you use the grain to make the ‘first loaf’ of the harvest.
The Arapaho people call the July moon “When-hot-weather-begins Moon” and Corn-in-Tassel Moon is the name the Cherokee Nation gave it. The Anishinaabe Tribes in the North Central USA and Canada call it Berry Moon. Sometimes it is called the Rose Full Moon because it is rose colored. This is because it makes its lowest arc in the sky shining through more atmosphere, which can have a reddish or rose glow. This usually happens in June on the solstice, but this year the July full moon is lower in the sky.
On the east coast of North American the Algonquin tribes call this moon the Buck Full Moon, because this is when all the male deer, including elk and moose start to grow their new antlers.
The Hindus call this moon the Guru-purnima Full Moon and celebrate as a time for clearing the mind, and honoring the guru or spiritual master.
Many civilizations base their calendar on the moon. In the Islamic calendar each month starts with the first sighting of the waxing (or growing) moon, or just after the new moon. In the Chinese calendar this full moon is in the middle of the sixth month. In the Hebrew calendar this sixth month is called “Tammuz”.
Cultures also tie traditions to the full moon as in Europe when June became the Mead or Honeymoon month. Mead is created by fermenting honey mixed with water, sometimes adding fruit, spices, grains or hops. The tradition of calling the first month of marriage the “Honeymoon” is tied to the custom of marrying in June. The “Honeymoon” is the sweetest month of the year. It is a time of enchantment, health, rebirth, success, and strength. It is the custom to serve the new mead wine at the wedding, and give the couple enough wine to last their first month as newlyweds for their “Honeymoon”.
Now let’s all dress up, in our lunar best, on July 23 and celebrate the July full moon with drumming with our friends from 7 to 9 pm in the Founders Room at UUCSR.
by Stacy Sincheff
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From the Diversity Project
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Moving Beyond Bias Virtual Workshop
Diversity Project member Libia will be facilitating a virtual workshop in September that will help participants recognize and address implicit racial bias. Titled "Moving Beyond Bias," participants will engage in educational activities over two days.
"MOVING BEYOND BIAS"
WORKSHOP ON ZOOM
September 11, 9:00 - 1:00
September 12, 1:00 - 5:00
The Zoom link for the virtual workshop will be sent out a week before the training.
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Active Imagination
A Diversity Project Story by Paul Brockmann
Imagine a maternity ward in northern Manhattan, circa September 1960. My mother, recovering from the birth of her first child, scans the cradles to see the faces of all the babies sharing the room with my brother. (Yeah, this story starts before I was born or in fact even conceived, as all our stories do!)
She notices how pale my brother looks in comparison to a lot of the other babies in the room. She imagines how all the different babies in the room are going to grow up – what will affect them. She’ll often recall later that she realized in that moment that her baby was born with certain advantages in our society, compared to a lot of the other newborns he was sharing air with at that moment. She also took on board intuitively and imaginatively that something was simply wrong about that.
Thinking about my own journey into deeper thoughtfulness about diversity, equity and inclusivity in general, I have realized a mental adjustment I need to make to UUCSR’s “open minds, helping hands, loving heart” affirmation. I come into harmony with our principles when both my heart and my mind are open and loving. I also become more fully alive and more the kind of human I want to be.
It’s an ongoing journey, which my mother launched me on both literally and metaphorically, by being the kind of curious and inquisitive person she was. It’s always amazed and inspired me that her heart and mind made her that curious about other babies sharing the room with her own newborn son, as a 24-year-old new mother in the first flush of motherhood in Manhattan in the waning months of the Eisenhower presidency.
Fast-forward to 2012. I’ve been working in Papua New Guinea for six months and am celebrating my 50th birthday with best friends in Australia’s Northern Territory. From six months working with local teammates, colleagues, collaborators, and interlocutors in PNG, I’ve grown ever more appreciative of the 70,000 years or so of direct ancestral history on the land that these folks have in the places where they grew up. We’re boating up the East Alligator River, guided by an Aboriginal host who explains some of the human culture and history of the region. Days before, archeologists at another site had explained how the carbon-dating for the earliest human arrivals here keeps getting pushed further and further back, as archeologists dig (literally, and carefully) deeper. I’ve heard estimates that range from 35,000 years up to 70,000 years for both PNG and Australia.
I’m struck by the fact that this means when my colleagues’ and tour guides’ earliest ancestors settled on the land they still inhabit, my own ancestors were…where? Under ice caves in northern Europe? Still wandering from the modern-day Middle East up towards the northern European forests from which my own great-grandparents would eventually emigrate to the US?
Which raises another question I still need to research: one of my privileges is a certain accumulation of generational wealth. My grandparents helped my Mom house me and my brothers, after our dad took off. There’s no doubt my grandparents worked incredibly hard to put themselves through college (where they met, during the Great Depression) – but I suspect that the farms their families worked were on land actively stolen from North America’s own first humans, in this case Native tribes of the northern Great Plains. And if there’s one thing my international experiences have taught me, it’s that land and the right to farm, live from, and profit from it are not easily found for a lot of humans.
Flashback again. High school, late 1970s. I’m president of our school’s “American Field Service” student club, which means I’m organizing the exchange of students between a high school in greater Boston and our own school in suburban NJ. One guy from Boston has been placed in the home of one young woman from our group, and he tells me on the first day after their arrival that he “doesn’t feel comfortable” in that house. I’m too young and stupid (and, frankly, probably too teenage-crushed-out on this handsome guy) to probe a bit more about where the discomfort comes from. Somehow, a combination of weak teacher-leadership and dispute resolution, and my own issues, means no one ever really delved at all. And although my friend Christine never actively told me, I have long since “known” that the reason he “felt uncomfortable” was that Christine’s family was a merged family in which her (white) mother & kids lived with her second (black) husband & kids. More than forty years later, I still feel sad and uncomfortable at my own failure of imagination and inquiry in this situation, and am on occasion a bit haunted by the pain I saw in Christine’s eyes and face when I told her we were going to let what’s-his-name move to someone else’s (all-white) home.
The thread that I hope runs through all of these snapshots is this: if our hearts and minds are both open and loving, we will learn more, understand ourselves better, question our own place in the world at large – and above all, appreciate the folks we meet more fully and build richer relationships with them. Among many things our UU principles capture well is the essential fact that we really are all connected, we are all born with inherent dignity and worth, and we all owe each other compassionate, open and appreciative inquiry and respect. Life’s just a lot richer, more enjoyable, and more sustainable when we actively live that in our daily lives.
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Share the Basket / Advocates for Social Justice
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Building beloved community through our generosity is alive and well at UUCSR, and in the months ahead you’ll hear from several new organizations you’ve recommended to us recently.
Here’s the schedule for Shares with outside organizations through early September:
In July, we’ll share the basket with Raices Texas, which provides immigrant support services in the border areas of Texas and was recommended by our Borders & Beyond Group. They’ll introduce their activities during the services on both July 4th and July 18th.
In August, we’ll come back closer to home and share our basket with Community Health Care of Santa Rosa. They’ll introduce their activities during the services on both August 15th and August 29th.
We hope this will give more people a chance to hear about and consider supporting these organizations, even in the summer months when fewer of us attend services. Let any of us on the Share subcommittee know how you like this experiment – or just reflect your feelings by whether and how you contribute 😊.
Here's a summary of what we’ve shared with external organizations recently:
KBBF Bilingual Radio (January 10) -- $350
Food For All – Valley of the Moon (January 24) -- $985
Friends in Sonoma Helping (FISH, February 28) -- $315
Catholic Charities (March 28) -- $286
Donations to the support Saturday Breakfast between July 1 (start of our fiscal year) and March 31 were $21,794. In that period, Saturday Breakfast had spent $12,576 to provide nutritious take-away lunches to people in our community.
Thanks for your contributions in support of these organizations, and also for your support of the congregation through your sustaining pledges and other gifts.
Your A4SJ Share the Offering team – Elaine Wellin, Judy Elliott, Lynn Riepenhoff, Paul Brockmann, Serge Zimberoff
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“We will get by, We will get by, We will get by, We will survive'”
— Grateful Dead, Touch of Grey
The choir is making a comeback! Rehearsals will start up mid-August and the first live, in-person choir performance will be at In Gathering in September. After a year and a half of dealing with computers, smart phones, internet routers, and quirky software, singers will be able to see, hear, and feel each other. This is the best way to make music that comes from the heart and soul. Meanwhile, we'll still be dealing with technology, but gradually we'll be able to get together as a congregation to enjoy musical presentations and sing together.
By the way, the choir is in need of new voices. No auditions are required, only a warm heart and a love of music.
I want to give a shout out to Alan Bell and Sally Jones who have gone over and above the call of duty. They held the musical portions of our on-line services together while many of the music coordinators took well-deserved and long-awaited vacations this season.
If you'd like to become a participant in the music ministry at UUCSR - including singing in the choir - or have any questions or suggestions, email a Music Coordinator (musicians@uusantarosa.org) or the Choir Director (choir@uusantarosa.org).
Stay safe and keep singing!
--Randy Jones
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Saturday Breakfast
UUCSR’s weekly Breakfast With Our Neighbors, now in its 16th year, will begin serving hot meals again starting Saturday July 24th. We are all grateful to return to serving scrambled eggs, cheese quesadillas, waffles, home fries, hot/cold cereal, fruit, goodies from Panera, and lots of coffee to our homeless neighbors with no questions asked. The brown bag sandwich lunches provided during the pandemic have been much appreciated. However, there’s nothing like a hot meal in the morning. Volunteers of all stripes will be needed along with $$$ donations. Stay tuned to the FOCUS email list for updates and volunteer opportunities.
Caring Connections Committee
Most of us experience emergency situations a few times in our lives. For example, following surgery, a serious illness, or the death of a loved one, we’re unable to carry-on with our normal life for several days. Usually, family or neighbors step-in to help, but some of us don’t have those resources. That’s when the Caring Connections Committee volunteers can offer short-term help for UUCSR members, such as essential shopping, delivering a few meals, or providing a ride to pharmacies or medical appointments. We also have a list of referrals for services we are not able to offer "in-house."
Gretchen Vap, our Outreach Coordinator, is a retired nurse practitioner who is available for consult. To request help or volunteer, contact Gretchen Vap or committee chair Mac Freeman.
COSM
We are COSM, the Committee on Shared Ministry. The current committee consists of Maria Praetzellis (chair), Susan Bartholome, Frances Corman, Kitty Wells, David Reitzell and our Minister. We are charged with ensuring the health of the congregation by encouraging communication within the congregation, providing conflict resolution when needed, as well as supporting the minister.
This committee also participates in the yearly evaluation of the minister that we complete and submit to the Board of Trustees each February. We are here for both the minister and YOU, the congregation. So, talk with us! All communications with COSM are confidential. Feel welcome to call any of the COSM members. Our individual numbers are in the directory.
Evening Book Group
The book group will meet on Thursday July 8th from 4 to 6 p.m. We will meet in the courtyard of The Glaser Center at 547 Mendocino. The book for July is The Cairo Codex by Linda Lambert. The author will join us for the meeting. We will not meet in August. Newcomers and visitors are welcome. Contact Linda Lampson for more information.
"Elder Tales"
UU Women Together will present "Elder Tales" with Clare Whitfield on Saturday, July 17th from 2 to 4 pm in the UUCSR Board Room. Clare will show a 50 minute BBC film on Astronaut Wives, in which she appears. She will also speak about her life, no doubt
to the delight of all. Bring a finger-food snack to share, if you’d like. Coffee will be provided. All genders are welcome.
Older and Bolder Women's Group
This group for women of the Congregation who have already reached their 80th birthday continues in the Green Room the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month from 10 am to noon. We meet for coffee at 10 am and begin our discussion group at 10:30 sharp. The group facilitators are Shirley White and Clare Whitfield.
Membership Committee
Many of us are going to be excited to once again enter the sanctuary for a service on July 18 and subsequent Sundays. With that, however, comes a need for Welcome table staff. If you are able and willing to help greet people as they come in the door once a month or so, please contact Margaret Bregger Coston or Jan Hess. Additionally, if you are interested in being part of the Membership Team, contact Dee Ray. We will be gearing up in the fall for Getting to Know UU classes and New Member gatherings.
Art Committee
The first meeting of the Art Committee was held Thursday, June 24th at the Glaser Center. Our purpose is to be inclusive of all the arts from people of all ages, and to reach out to our congregants and beyond. We aim to have four art shows a year with receptions on opening day, as appropriate. Our committee of four welcomes members to join us. You need not be an artist, just a lover of art to be on the committee. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, July 13th at 2 pm.
The first shows feature the work of Elizabeth Craven and the member diversity banners to honor our first day back together for a service. Be sure to check it out and come join us on the committee.
Drum Circle
CUUPS drum group has started back up. We meet every Friday from 7 to 9 pm in the Founders Room. Come around to the south side of the building - there will be a sign on the door. Can't wait to see you all there!
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Soul Matters Small Group Ministry - Exciting News
Through these crazy times, WE DID IT! After beginning Soul Matters Small Group Ministry in January 2019, we successfully transitioned most of the groups to zoom and are now ending our first phase of Soul Matter groups in June.
We will be starting new (both in person and zoom groups) in September. We will have a facilitator training and support meeting Saturday August 28th. One of the joys I've experienced the last 18 months is meeting regularly with other facilitators and deepening my connection with people at UUCSR.
Plan to join a group or be a facilitator for an extra rich experience. There will be in person sign ups for the groups the first two Sundays in September. Along with a way to sign up electronically. If you are interested in applying to be a facilitator contact Katie or myself.
Not familiar with Soul Matters? It's about exploration, connection, support, and transformation, Each month all of us receive an email with a *Soul Matters packet* filled with rich resources to help us explore a particular theme. September will be Embracing Possibilities; October: Cultivating Relationships, November: Holding History. Inside the packet are poems, inspirational quotes, questions for reflection, and links to videos and films. It also contains spiritual exercises to deepen our experience and help us embody our UU principles in a deep and meaningful way.
In addition to exploring the riches in the packet on your own, you can do it with the support of a small group. Once or twice a month, we get together in our small groups and share what we’re discovering: what we’re learning about ourselves, what new perspectives or insights we’ve gained, or where we feel challenged to grow.
We listen to each other and we listen to our own lives, because when we are
listened to by trusted companions it helps us hear our own voices.
Soul Matters invites us to dance with life in a new way. Through spiritual
practices and questions focused on our daily living, we engage the world
not as an obstacle course to get through, but as a host of holy voices
calling us to greater loving and living.
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547 Mendocino Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
Phone: (707) 568-5381
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