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Lunch Bunch – December 19, Noon – 2 p.m.
Enjoy convivial conversation over lunch with friends. Please contact Janice Newton to sign up so we can appropriately notify the restaurant for their planning (and our comfort). December Lunch Bunch is back in Fellowship Hall this month!
Social Justice Council — December 19, 7 p.m.
Interested in justice work? Come meet with us to learn the latest about ongoing activities and discover new initiatives. Everyone’s invited! Click HERE for the Zoom Link.
First Tuesday Hangouts & Discussion — January 2, 2024 10:30 a.m.
Each first Tuesday, from 10:30 to noon in the library (and on ZOOM), Rev. Bob will host a community chat where anyone can pop in. We’ll plan a provisional topic each month; however, you do not have to have any knowledge of – or even interest in! – that topic. It’s just to get the conversation rolling; we’ll talk about life, the universe, and whatever springs to mind.
In January, the topic is "childhood heroes". Who were your heroines and heroes growing up? Has that changed over the years? How have role models and inspiring people changed your life?
And, an invitation: if you have a favorite topic you can facilitate in 2024, please let Rev. Bob know!)
Disability Support Group — January 6
This group meets online on the first Saturday of each month at 10:30 a.m. The zoom link is sent a few days prior to the meeting. In this group, participants discuss the challenges of physical disability (chronic illness, chronic pain, impaired senses, impaired mobility) and emotional pain (loss, mental illness), and the stresses of caretaking a loved one. What is said in the group stays in the group. Email Gloria Bent for more information or call 860-904-7768.
USH Book Club 2023/24
Our USH Book Club meets from 2:30 – 4 p.m. on the 2nd Thursday of each month, either on Zoom or occasionally as a hybrid meeting. To discuss the book and related issues, please contact Ginny Allen. The Zoom link will be sent to you a day or two before the meeting.
January 11, 2024: The Matrix by Lauren Groff
Cast out of the royal court by Eleanor of Acquitaine, deemed too coarse and rough-hewn for marriage or courtly life, seventeen-year-old Marie de FranApce is sent to England to be the new prioress of an impoverished abbey, its nuns on the brink of starvation and beset by disease. At first taken aback by the severity of her new life, Marie finds focus and love in collective life with her singular and mercurial sisters.
Future dates and readings:
· February 8: Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future
by Elizabeth Kolbert
· March 14: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
· April 11: Still Life by Louise Penny
· May 9: Two Old Women by Velma Wallis
· June 13: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Varghese
Pizza/Movie Night — January 12; 5 – 9 p.m.
In January, the movie is a co-presentation with our RE program, featuring a movie ostensibly aimed at young people but, as it turns out, appropriate and (we hope) interesting for all ages. Join us for pizza, and then experience the acclaimed Kiki's Delivery Service.
This is a coming-of-age animated fantasy film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, based on a beloved series of Japanese children's books by Eiko Kadono. The film was released in 1989; its English voice cast includes Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, and Debbie Reynolds among others.
We begin assembling at 5 for popcorn and soda/lemonade/tea and mingling; the pizza arrives at 5:30. Generally, we aim to start the movie by 6:30; afterward we'll reflect on our experience for a bit.
Sign up at Coffee Hour at the Caring Network table, or email Janice Newton. $15* covers pizza, salad, dessert, non-alcoholic beverages. Feel free to bring your own beer or wine, if that’s your preference. *or $5/slice, for the light eaters
The movie is, as mentioned above, appropriate for all ages.
Saturday Sing-Along – January 20, 2 p.m.
Join us at the next Meeting House Sing-Along. Song sheets and some loaner copies of Rise Up Singing or Rise Again are available.
Come early or come late, whatever fits your schedule. Some of us bring snacks, but that is not required (or organized). If the weather is good, we meet outside around to the right of the building, in the Memorial Garden. If you feel unwell, we ask that you postpone your visit.
Contact: Fred Louis or Ed Savage for more information.
Security Task Force — January 21, Noon
We meet on third Sundays from 12 – 1 and welcome new members. Contact Laura Cipriano or Lu Giammatteo for more information.
Click HERE for the Zoom Link.
Lunchtime Poetry Workshops with Rev. Bob — January 25 at noon
Come to an exploration of poetry and spirit, led by Rev. Bob. Each session begins with us reading a poem or poems together, reflecting on their meaning for us in a variety of ways. Having a go at writing poems will also be a part of these workshops, but don’t worry, sharing our own poems is entirely optional! Sessions take place from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Please bring your own lunch. (optional) Feel free to bring a snack to share if you wish! Can’t make it in person? Join us via Zoom!
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