We join together to encourage spiritual growth,
build a beloved community, and act for peace and justice.
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Sunday, August 9
10:30 a.m. Sunday Service
"Thoreau, Animal Emotions, & Us"
- Rev. Carl with Juliet Hutchings as liturgist
Special Music:
Calvert Thompson, soprano
Danielle Grace on piano,
with Jeff & Marguerite Wilson
Please spread the word about our online Sunday Services
to anyone you know who may be interested.
11:30 a.m. Virtual Coffee Hour
(Same Zoom Room as Sunday Service)
11:45 a.m. Friendly Forum:
"Empowering Community Leaders Network:"
Learn about our August Split-plate Recipient
with the president of ECLN, Phyllis York
Noon Earth-centered Spirituality Service:
focus on creating corn dollies.
3:00 p.m. Atheists/Humanists/Agnostics (AHA)
Discussion Group:
Regularly check our homepage for
the next 7 days of online opportunities:
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from the President of the UUCF Board of Trustees
"I Think We've Got this!"
Dear UUCF Members, Friends, and Newcomers:
I just wanted to report to you that the new Board of Trustees is working hard to guide and support UUCF in its mission to encourage spiritual growth, build a beloved community, and act for peace and justice in these challenging times. Our Board Retreat on August 2nd ended with the phrase, “I think we’ve got this.” And so we do. We continue to see many members, friends and new faces join us at our on-line Sunday services and to gather both the invigoration of challenging, meaningful words and music and the reminder of our deep connections. Just as each of you is balancing many factors, decisions and priorities in your individual lives, The Board, with Reverend Carl and Jen, is balancing safety and connection, radical change and comfort, an uncertain future with a present that is enhanced by UUCF and each other, and growing digitally while preserving as much warmth and ‘touch’ as possible in our available interactions.
We encourage you to be fully aware of all that this community offers via services, resources on the website, classes, discussion groups, opportunities for continued spiritual growth, and opportunities to build beloved community and work for peace and justice. As Reverend Carl has said, if you feel like you alone cannot impact the world, (and the world needs our thoughtful and loving impact!), be more than one. We are more than one and we contribute both to an engaged congregation and to many impactful groups in Frederick and beyond. It is an honor to be engaged with all of you and this incredible congregation.
‘See’ you all on zoom, in meetings, in classes, in letters to the editor, political meetings, polling places (or the post office), and maybe even out in the streets!
Peace,
Lisa Bromfield
President
UUCF Board of Trustees
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Ongoing Classes & Events
White Fragility Book Discussion Series
(Wednesdays, 7:00-8:30 p.m.) On Wednesday, August 12, we will discuss Chapter 12 of White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo. All are welcome. Please be prepared to discuss the current week’s reading in a small group format. If you’re just starting the book, this 6-minute video from Robin DiAngelo is a good introduction. Questions? Contact lwagner4@mac.com. (Zoom link available at frederickuu.org)
UUCF Social Hour:
Thursday, August 6 at 6:30pm
Join us to check-in, visit, and share. We'll start with the topic of Gardening and be open to switching topics depending on the interests of those who show up. Facilitated by Melissa Aellen.
Registration Now Open!
"A Quick History of Humans"
A FREE 8-session course
Thursdays at 7:00 - 8:15 p.m.
starting September 10 (through 10/29).
Course description: Archaeology, anthropology, psychology and sociology, and of course traditional history have all made great strides in understanding human nature over the last 50 years—to such an extent that it is now possible to outline the most important patterns of human history over the last 75,000 years. This will be a bird’s eye view, no doubt very different from any other history course you’ve ever taken. If you’re thrilled by long vistas, join us. We’ll do a whirlwind tour stretching from human origins in Africa to the present, all of which will help to understand today’s headlines and tomorrow’s crises. Discussion welcomed, relevant personal experience shared, wide reading recommended. Bring your curiosity.
Instructor: John Spears, PhD. in History, JHU, 1978, Master of Arts in Teaching, Northwestern U., 1972; have taught this class three times before, in Lifelong Learning classes at Towson U., JHU, and Shepherd U.
Registration: For more information or to add your name to the list to receive the Zoom link email John at jnsiii125@gmail.com. (You can also call with questions if you prefer: 443-812-0502.)
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RE news for July
Summer Together at UUCF
We are so excited to offer several online summer workshops for our beloved community! Even while physically distanced, we can continue to connect, learn, and grow in community together!
Please be sure to register for your workshops ASAP--space is limited! (We'll send you a supply list for any workshop that may require materials in advance after you register.)
We Still Need Jammies!!!
Jammies in July: Our FABULOUS Youth Group is spearheading a pajama drive to benefit Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership in Frederick. coipp.org. We are calling this drive "Jammies in July" and we're asking that you purchase new pajamas to provide comfort and care to those in need in our greater community. All sizes for children and youth ages 0-18 years old are needed. It's fun to have your child pick out the pajamas they might want for themselves to give to another child their same age :). Our kids' remarks closed with: "We believe that all people deserve respect and cozy pajamas!"
We can receive the Pajamas in a couple of ways:
- Purchase on your own online and send care of Patricia Einhorn 520 Klineharts Alley Frederick, MD 21701
- Purchase on your own and drop off at Patricia Einhorn's home (there will be a donation box on her porch)-520 Klineharts Alley Frederick, MD 217013.
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Joys & Sorrows
Longtime, beloved UUCF member Janet Menzer died this past Sunday.
She went to the hospital Saturday evening with a kidney stone, which spiraled quickly into various complications and septic shock.
Condolences may be sent to the family through her daughter:
Amy Menzer
2527 Yorkway
Dundalk MD 21222
or
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Tuesday, August 11 at 7:00 p.m.
Maryland Poor People's Campaign Film Screening
Join us for a virtual screening of the must see documentary, "Rigged...The Voter Suppression Playbook". It exposes the decade long effort to prevent non-whites and younger people from voting or having their vote count. The film also shows the fights being waged to protect our democracy. We will follow the film with information about ACTIONS to do NOW to help "get out the vote" in November. View the Trailer RSVP here.
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Our efforts to encourage voting and increase turnout in the General Election are focusing on strategies that maximize voter safety while overcoming obstacles to voting. For this reason, we are urging people to use the mail-in ballot option to avoid long lines at polling places, either during early voting or on Election Day. This is all the more important since election boards are struggling to find enough election judges to staff every polling place, and it is likely that many will be consolidated.
However, mail-in voting has its own issues, including concerns about mail delivery, and we have just learned of another factor that could impede the count itself. It turns out that mail-in ballots that are printed out at the voter's home and mailed in cannot be scanned directly by the existing machines.
Unlike the primary in June, the Maryland State Board of Elections will be mailing absentee ballot requests -- not an actual ballot -- to all registered voters very soon. However, you can already go online and request a mail-in ballot by completing a form that includes information from your driver's license or other ID. No matter which method you use, when you request your ballot, you will be given the option to have your absentee ballot sent to you by mail or electronically. If you choose to receive it by email, you will need to print out the ballot and send it to the Maryland State Board of Elections.
While having your ballot sent electronically seems like it would be a quicker method to vote, these print-outs cannot be recorded by scanning them with the machines at the Board of Elections. To record your vote, staff must transfer your marks from the document you sent to an official paper ballot before scanning. This requires two Board staff, one from each party, to spend time processing all ballots printed by voters at home. The number of home-printed ballots that were processed in this manner for the primary was 400,000, and the General Election numbers will be much higher. We want to avoid this if possible, since it slows the vote count and could prevent the final vote from being completed in a timely manner.
Good news, though, you can avoid this additional step by requesting that a paper ballot be mailed to you using the US Postal Service (see below). This also helps the Post Office which has had a drop in volume during the pandemic. And we urge voters to complete and mail their ballots immediately upon receipt in order to avoid any backlogs at the USPS just before Election Day.
Reminders and Important Dates:
If you need to register to vote or update your current address, you must do so by Tuesday, October 13, 2020. Or you may exercise your right to “same day” register and vote during the early voting period and on election day. You can find further guidance on this process here.
If you are unable to vote by mail, you must vote in-person during the early vote period or on election day at your designated polling location in your jurisdiction.
Here are some additional resources:
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If you need to register to vote, click here.
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To check your voter registration, text CHECK to 77788 or visit this link
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If you are registered to vote and need to check that your address is up to date, click here.
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Announcements for our weekly e-newsletter are due no later than Wednesday noon. Please keep your announcement 50 words or less. If you have a graphic for the group or organization, please include that as well. Email to: office@frederickuu.org
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