UUCSC News and Updates
Weekly on Fridays
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Unitarian Universalist Congregation of South County, RI
All are welcome!
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UUCSC does not presently have a minister. If you are in need of pastoral services please contact any member of the Pastoral Care Committee. Rev. Betty Kornitzer, UUCSC Minister Emerita, is working with the committee and if professional ministerial support is needed, she will be called in. Please do not contact the Minister directly.
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SCAM ALERT: Several members and friends of the congregation recently received emails with the subject line "God Bless" purporting to be from the Congregational Administrator and asking for a favor. THIS IS A SCAM. If you received such an email, please do not respond to it and delete it as soon as possible. Always check the email address on suspicious ones, such as this, and be aware of scammers this holiday season. |
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This Sunday, November 28, 2021 |
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10:00 AM In-person
“Proposing a New Holiday”
Though we are "singing from the heart" during services, we are still encouraged to read from our hymnals if we wish. Please pick yours up when you come in, and return it to its shelf when you leave.
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“Proposing a New Holiday”
Eli Nixon
Eli proposes a new holiday, in homage to horseshoe crabs, a 450 million year-old organism and its primordial immune system. One reason this holiday is called Bloodtide is because all vaccines and surgical equipment are tested for sterility, using a compound from the crabs' blood. The holiday can replace existing holidays that valorize violence (4th of July, Thanksgiving, Victory Day...). Holiday practices could include pageants, feasts, habitat restorations, tick checks, impossible dancing and more! More about Eli HERE.
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More Gratitude
So much to be grateful for! Grateful for the volunteers who took apart our play structure last week, and those who are hauling away some of the pieces and bringing a new one this week! And grateful for the opportunity to create new, glorious structures from the remnants. Check out the RE newsletter for many pictures of the demolition process and the new things created, plus some books and videos for Thanksgiving.
Lee Cowan, Director of Religious Education
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COVID PROTOCOL CONTINUES: The speakers at the podium are going to continue to wear masks for the time being. Covid cases are actually on the rise and now is not the time to let down our guard. Soon we will all have had our booster shots, a good percentage of children will have been vaccinated and herd immunity will increase. We have done well because we have been careful, so bear with us as we continue to practice loving care. If you are having difficulty hearing contact Mary Fulton for tips and workarounds.
THE HEAT IS ON: The heat is working as of November 24th! The Facilities Committee has worked steadily throughout the past two years on this and other projects. The boiler was converted to gas to save money and a new thermostat was installed but it is still a VERY OLD SYSTEM. There are some kinks to work out so please be patient. Ed Burrell and Summit Heating worked to solve the problem, but bring mittens on Sunday in case we have another hiccup. And remember the Facilities Committee Rocks!
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Thankful, Thankful, Thankful!
So much to be thankful for. Personally, life is good with a dear companion by my side, a passel of grandchildren and many friends and family members to share the journey with. It is certainly not without its challenges though, and I am well acquainted with the emotional valleys of this holiday season. As my sister laughingly said just last night (as she recovers from surgery on a sliced tendon in her hand), the holidays are just trouble waiting to happen. And yet she gamely supervised her daughter in the making of the absolute necessities for their meal—homemade rolls and pie—so they could share their meal via Zoom with her son in Wisconsin and later with family in RI and CT.
On the UUCSC front I am thankful for every member of the Board of Directors who has worked double time this year and hasn’t complained once when I called yet another meeting.
I am thankful for:
- the members of the Worship Committee who have kept us going and who provide us with something to think about every Sunday morning without fail
- Mike and the choir who have managed to make beautiful sounds despite being muzzled and gasping for air
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Lee and the volunteers and families who have played outside with the kids for most of this glorious autumn
- the Membership Committee who has worked with far too few members but is here every Sunday morning keeping contact tracing lists
- the Facilities Committee who keeps this old building creaking along (the furnace DOES work and we DO have to get to the bottom of the thermostat problem)
- the Pastoral Care Committee who works quietly behind the scenes
- our AMAZING Minister Emerita, Rev. Betty, who hasn’t once lost faith in us and has been here for us whenever we need her
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the Finance Committee who works their magic and keeps us ship shape (Rev Denis couldn’t believe how low our mortgage is and how good our financial picture is!
- the Communications Committee who is dedicated to keeping us informed
- Sorin who records and posts our services and who is proving to be a wonderful addition to our congregation
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all the people I forgot
And, lastly but not least, I am thankful for every one of you who has willingly followed our Covid rules, who has shown up on a Sunday morning or who has been with us in heart.
On December 1 we start a new chapter. Let us all embrace this exciting time, welcome our new minister, and work together to strengthen our connections and to grow our resolve to live our values. It is a blessing to be. It is a blessing to be here. It is a blessing to be here now. It is blessing to be here now together.
With gratitude,
Elizabeth
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Jonnycake Center
Hope for the Holidays
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Jonnycake Center is collecting donations of clothing, toys and gift cards to give to local families for the holidays. UUCSC will be collecting donations in the front lobby to help with their effort. Look for the tree decorated with gift tags! Take a gift tag home as a reminder to buy a gift; then bring it to UUCSC unwrapped before Dec. 8th. This is a joint project by RE and the Economic Justice Committee.
Submitted by DRE Lee Cowan and Mary Fulton.
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South Kingstown School Committee Meeting 11/22/21
Report from Johnnie Rodriguez
RE: Anti-Racism/Anti-Discrimination/Anti-Harassment Policy
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My first impressions from last night:
I am grateful that I got back by 10 p.m.
I am grateful that none of the “anti-anti-racism” people were there.
I am extremely grateful for the people who testified in favor of it or showed up to support the Anti-Racism/Anti-Discrimination/Anti-Harassment Policy.
PRIOR to anything else last night, the SC voted to send the policy back to the
subcommittee.
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Affordable Housing Crisis
DID YOU KNOW....The wage needed in Rhode Island to afford a fair market rent 2 BR apartment is $21.16, more than two times the state's minimum wage?
DID YOU KNOW.... 58% (28,374) of South County households cannot afford the region's median home price of $347,000?
You can find these facts and more in the latest issue of HousingWorksRI 2021 Housing Fact Book. The work of stabilizing our communities, including South County communities, through access to safe, healthy, affordable homes has never been more necessary. If this is of concern to you and you want to learn or do more about it please reach out to the Social Justice Team . With your interest, we can meet and determine how to tackle this crisis together.
Submitted by Cathy Solomon, Social Justice Chair
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Become involved at your level of interest and availability.
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A Snapshot of our new Minister |
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Rev. Denis Paul delivers a sermon about a
unique UU holiday - "Traditions Old and New"
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Submitted by Betsy Dalton |
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Please share your story; contact me at
Read all of Our Stories HERE.
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Adult Education and Experience |
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Submissions for this column may be made directly to the newsletter editor or to me. Please include Newsletter Adult Ed in the subject line.
Barbara Holtzman, Chair
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Exploring interdependence as a path to wholeness
in UU theology and practice. Details and registration HERE.
From the UUA Newsletter
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AWAY FROM HOME:
AMERICAN INDIAN BOARDING SCHOOL STORIES
Traveling Museum Exhibition now through Jan 7th, 2022
Tuesday - Saturday | 10AM - 4 PM
(Admission is free, donations are appreciated.)
URI University Club | 95 Upper College Rd | Kingstown, RI
Click HERE for info about parking.
From Tomaquag Museum News
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A documentary about the extraordinary friendship between the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu and how they learned to find joy during troubled times - inspiration we could benefit from today. Register and watch the trailer here.
View the film (88 minutes) on your own. Then on Wednesday December 1, 2021, 7:00-8:00pm, join fellow UUCSC congregants and members of neighboring UU congregations on Zoom to discuss the film and how we can bring hope and joy into our lives as we navigate our personal challenges and those in the larger community. Barbara Holtzman will lead. All are welcome! (The link to the Zoom discussion can also be found on the church calendar, accessible from the front page.)
Submitted by Barbara Holtzman
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Last Monday of the Month
Climate Protest
Monday November 29, 2021
11:30
Chase Bank (580 Kingstown Road, Wakefield)
Bangladesh produces almost no greenhouse gases and yet every day its 165 million people are on the front line of the climate catastrophe due to sea level rise, storms, cyclones, drought, erosion, landslides, flooding and salinization, mostly caused by burning fossil fuels. By 2050, one in every seven people in Bangladesh will likely be displaced by climate change due to its low elevation, high population density, extreme poverty, and inadequate infrastructure.
Up to 18 million people may have to move because of sea level rise alone. Imagine the chaos and pain for them and us if all the people in New York State were already impoverished and hungry, then lost their homes, and were desperately looking for a place here in New England near you, just to survive.
Our major banks are banking on and profiting from this climate chaos. But if we stop the flow of money from the banks, especially Chase the biggest and worst, to the fossil fuel companies, the gas, oil, and coal will stay in the ground.
Brian Wilder, CARI
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Furniture Needed for Afghan Refugees |
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If anyone has furniture to donate to the Afghan refugees, Cappri Emergency Services will arrange to pick up those items that they can use.
If you have a large item that needs a truck, please send a picture of it with your name, address, phone number, and email address to Ascension at CAPPRI Emergency Services <emergencyservices@cappri.org>
Submitted by Barbara Holtzman
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Participants Sought To Reduce Food Waste, Improve Food Access
Deadline to join the effort is December 1.
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Submitted by Mary Fulton, Economic Justice |
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Your search for truth and meaning begins here.
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How to Submit Info to This Newsletter |
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Send announcements and news with Newsletter Item in the subject line to Etta Zasloff, Editor, at zasloff.etta@gmail.com by Tuesday Noon
to assure publication by Friday of that week.
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