Thursday, October 27, 2022 |
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THIS SUNDAY'S
WORSHIP SERVICE
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"A Godless Spirituality"
Rev. Dr. Neal Jones, Guest Speaker
ZOOM ONLY
Sunday, October 30, 2022
"Spirituality" is a slippery, subjective term meaning different things to different people. Rather than regarding it as supernatural, our guest Rev. Dr. Neal Jones sees it as being quite natural; instead of being divinely inspired, he sees it as an innate human capacity. At this service Rev. Jones (who describes himself as a recovering Southern Baptist, humanist, UU minister) will share his definition of spirituality.
Bio — Rev. Dr. Neal Jones is a psychologist at the Pisgah Institute in Asheville. Born and raised in North Carolina, he earned his B.A. from Wake Forest University, his M.Div. from Southeastern Seminary, and his Psy.D. from Baylor University. He has served as the minister of five congregations in North and South Carolina, Texas, and Pennsylvania, most recently at Main Line Unitarian Church near Philly. He also serves as the chair of the national Board of Trustees of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Rev. Dr. Jones teaches and practices a spirituality of personal wholeness, relational respect, and social justice.
So we can begin the service promptly at 10 am, please sign into Zoom ( click here) by no later than 9:50 am.
Welcoming Families and Children on Sunday Mornings
Each Sunday, UUCR offers childcare and simple age-appropriate activities for children of all ages. If you have any questions about UUCR's programming for families and children, please be in touch with Rev. Sue.
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Upcoming Worship Services |
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Sunday, November 6 — In Person & ZOOM
"Well Yes, I Changed"
Many have strong personal convictions about right, wrong, and what needs to change in the world. Such clarity can be useful as we advocate for what we believe in. The lead up to an election is filled with this rhetoric of certainty. How do we also stay curious? As we head into this year's election week, are we ready to be changed by what is to come? At this service with Rev. Sue Browning we'll reflect on how we might prepare ourselves to see in fresh ways as the dust from the election settles.
- Rev. Sue Browning, Minister
- Marilee Taussig, Service Leader
- Kate Bennett, Musician
Sunday, November 13 — In Person & ZOOM
"Truth and Reconciliation"
- Rev. Greg Chute, Guest Speaker
- Jan Sprinkel, Service Leader
- Michael Casey and Fredy Granillo, Musicians
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So You Don't Miss Anything! |
- This Week's Worship Service Information
- Upcoming Worship Services Information
- Newsletter Index
- Helpful Links, Office Hours, Upcoming Events Calendar
- Memorial Woodland Garden Remembrance Service
- Minister's Column
- Nancy Hart Obituary
- Volunteers Needed for Kent Attainable Housing
- Community Thanksgiving Set for November 20
- Bulb Planting at UUCR — November 5
- Community Plan for Children, Youth, and Families
- "Orientation to UUCR" Session — November 20
- "Soup Sampler Fundraiser" Dinner — Providers Needed
- Rebuilding Together Special Collection — Deadline 10/31
- Pastoral Care and Connection Committee
- Birthdays
- UUCR Contact Information
- End of Reflections Notice at the VERY END
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If you don't see "VERY END of REFLECTIONS for October 27, 2022"
at the VERY END of this email, you're not seeing the entire email.
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This Week's
Worship Service
Last Week's Worship Service Recording
UUCR
UUCR Office Hours:
W, Sa, Su — 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
M, Tu, Th, F — CLOSED
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OCT 30 | Worship Service
ZOOM ONLY, joint with UUFE
Rev. Dr. Neal Jones, guest speaker
OCT 30 | Annual UUCR
Memorial Woodland Garden Remembrance Service
(see details below)
OCT 31 | Deadline for
Rebuilding Together
Special Collection
NOV 05 | Bulb Planting at
UUCR (see details below)
NOV 06 | DAYLIGHT
SAVINGS TIME ENDS
NOV 06 | Worship Service
In Person & ZOOM
Rev. Sue Brown, minister
NOV 06 | Community Plan for Children, Youth, and Families Presentation (see details below)
NOV 06 | "Soup Sampler Dinner" Fundraiser sign up begins (see details below)
NOV 13 | Worship Service
In Person & ZOOM
Rev. Greg Chute, guest speaker
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If you know of another link or event that should be added, please contact
the UUCR office by email or phone 410-778-3440. Thanks!
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Our gathering in the UUCR Memorial Woodland Garden on October 30 at 3 pm will include a "Service of Remembrance" led by Rev. Sue Browning. The service is a way to come together in this beautiful setting and gently hold the memories of family and friends who have died. We will take time to recognize members who have died recently, and will include an opportunity to hold in love the many who have come before us. If you have anyone who you want to be sure we honor, please provide the name to Rev. Sue before the service. There will also be a chance to add names during the service. This will be an opportunity to look back, to enjoy our present blessings, and to foresee how we can best support our community.
We are looking for volunteers to provide light finger foods. We will be providing liquid refreshments.
Please bring a lawn chair for yourself and a few extras for those who may need them.
We need volunteers on Saturday, October 29 at 1:30 pm to help clean up the Memorial Woodlands Garden in preparation for the service. If possible, please bring rakes, or any other equipment you think may be needed.
We're also looking for a few good volunteers to help with setup around 2 pm on Sunday, and/or stay to help with cleanup after the service.
For more info and/or to volunteer contact:
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Why Zoom-only on this Sunday?
This Sunday (October 30) our service at 10 am will be 100% virtual, that is a Zoom only service. Please join us online! (And please don't come to the building.)
Why take a week off and have a virtual-only service?
It’s an ongoing experiment. For 15 months during Covid, UU Easton and UU Chestertown worshiped together. We invited speakers, created music, and figured out "tech" together. We shared joys and concerns, and hung out for coffee hours together. We shared our energy and care as we walked through challenging times.
The Worship Teams from the two congregations wanted to continue the relationship, and have chosen to do so through holding shared services on 5th Sundays.
This Sunday we will hear from guest minister Rev. Dr. Neal Jones, who will offer his perspectives on "A Godless Spirituality" from his home in North Carolina. Hearing from Rev. Neal is only possible because we are virtual. We look forward to his message, and are honored that he has agreed to stay after the service for discussion.
Holding virtual services now and then also provides a break for our greeters, tech teams, and other volunteers. Creating "church" every week is a joy, and it takes work.
The most profound reason for holding shared worship on 5th Sundays is to foster and strengthen the ties between the two sibling congregations. We've learned so much already from the partnership, and hope to learn more. The closer relationship is one of the silver linings of the pandemic.
We hope to have a good turnout for this coming Sunday. If there are any questions about the 5th Sunday shared services, please be in touch.
In connection,
Rev. Sue
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Long-time UUCR member Nancy Hart passed away on October 18, 2022, at the age of 84. Nancy was known for her kind heart and open mind. She touched many lives and was loved by all who met her. She enjoyed many hobbies including playing bridge, eating out, photography, and traveling, and was also a lifelong learner. She rarely missed a Sunday morning service at UUCR. Nancy graduated from Salisbury State Teachers College with a B.Ed. and received her M.Ed. in Optometric Technology from Indiana University. She was a former elementary and special education teacher, and the owner and director of Small World Day Care Center in Chestertown before she retired. Nancy and her husband Harry raised five children. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 5, 2022, at the Bennie Smith Funeral Home, 855 High St, Chestertown, MD. For more information see https://www.benniesmithfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Nancy-Hart-12/#!/Obituary.
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Volunteers Needed for
Kent Attainable Housing (KAH)
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UUCR has provided much time, talent, and treasure to support KAH in the past in their mission to provide affordable home ownership for our county's working families. Volunteer opportunities are once again available. Coming up soon is the need to help build a shed at one of their new home sites on Saturday, November 5. Please contact Terwana Brown, KAH Future Homeowners Program Manager, if you are interested in this project or other future opportunities. Her email is terwana@kentattainablehousing.org; or you can call 410-480-6842. The Social Justice Committee thanks you for your consideration and support.
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Community Thanksgiving Set for Sunday, November 20 |
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Kent County returns to a live, in-person Thanksgiving service for the entire community the afternoon of Sunday, November 20. With our own Rev. Sue Browning as a planner, the service is sure to be an inclusive and lively event. It is being held for the first time in memory at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, located at the corner of Kent and High streets with a parking lot to the rear accessed from Kent and nearby street parking.
The Chester Valley Ministers Association sponsors this annual event as one of its signature projects. In the previous two years, the service was virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speakers will range from clergy to lay people offering poetry, short readings, and personal reflections. Cantor Gary Schiff will represent the Jewish faith.
A pop-up choir will sing one selection and lead hymns. Volunteers for the choir are still welcome since there will be no separate rehearsal; singers will simply show up at 3:15 pm to preview the music before the service starts at 4:00 pm.
For more information, contact Sacred Heart’s coordinator, Mary Jo Frohlich at 410.778.3160 during office hours or at mfrohlich@sacredparish.org.
Linda Weimer, CVMA rep
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Bulb Planting on November 5 |
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The UUCR Building and Grounds Committee has ordered and received daffodil and crocus bulbs to plant in order to enhance our grounds. The Committee met on Friday, October 14 and would like to schedule a "work day" to plant these flowering bulbs on Saturday, November 5.
We have several people that have volunteered their augers and cordless drills, which will make the bulb planting much easier.
The plan is to have a first crew to set out the bulbs where they should go, starting about 9:00 am, followed by a crew to drill holes, insert soil amendments, and then plant the bulbs. This second crew should arrive at about 10:30 am.
Please let us know if you can help, and at which time.
Thanks,
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Community Plan for
Children, Youth, and Families
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We are very fortunate to have Rosemary Ramsey Granillo, Director of the Kent County Local Management Board and a great friend of our church, join us for a presentation and discussion after the service on Sunday, November 6. According to Rosie, "The political landscape for children and youth is on the cusp of an exciting moment in Maryland. The Blueprint for MD’s future, a new Governor, and expansions in federal programs point to a policy landscape that may bolster children and families for the first time in 40 years. How will we take advantage of this locally?" Rosie will go over Kent County’s Community Plan for Children Youth and Families. The plan aligns local efforts to build equitable access, shared assets, and full opportunity among our families.
If you care about family services in Kent County, don't miss this one!
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"Orientation to UUCR" Session November 20 |
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The UUCR Membership Committee has scheduled an "Orientation to UUCR" session for Sunday, November 20, following the service. If you are interested in learning more about UUCR, and possibly becoming an official member, please let Diane Shields know that you will attend: dashdiane@gmail.com or 410-490-0492. Light refreshments will be served, and there will be opportunities for questions!
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"Soup Sampler Dinner" Fundraiser at UUCR on Friday, December 9! |
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Get your fill sampling 10 soups and 5 breads
on Dec 9; order more to enjoy later!
BYOB; light dessert provided.
Ten different soup makers will each bring a crockpot full of their favorite/best soup, five different bread makers will each bring homemade loaves, and all in attendance will dig into a luscious warming meal. (Providers of the soup and bread will eat free at the dinner.) BYOB; light dessert provided. Attendees will also be able to order quarts (@$10) of their choice of soups and loaves (@$6) of their favorite breads for pick-up and payment at UUCR on Sunday, December 18.
Soup makers (bisques, chowders and chilis are also most welcome) and bread makers, we need YOU. Send Jane Hardy, janewhardy@gmail.com, a couple of varieties you’d be willing to make, so that we won’t have duplications.
Bring $20 per person (cash or check) and sign up to attend the dinner on Sunday mornings after services, starting on November 6.
From your Fundraising Task Force: Lynn Dolinger, Linda Dutton, Jane Hardy, and Mary Pritchard
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UUCR Social Justice Work for October 2022
Will Focus on Local Low Income Housing.
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We have identified Rebuilding Together Kent County (www.rebuildingtogetherkcmd.org) as the local non profit we will collect funds for throughout October. Rebuilding Together Kent County (RTKC) is part of a national organization. They work in local partnership with community volunteers and local contractors to provide free home repairs, safety modifications, and links to community resources to keep homeowners with limited resources living independently in homes that are safe, warm, and dry.
You can contribute by writing a check made out to UUCR specifying “Rebuilding Together” in the memo line and either placing it in the offering basket on Sundays or sending it to the church office. You can also donate online at the UUCR website using the “Donate” button (click here) and “Custom Amount,” specifying “Rebuilding Together” in the comment section.
Please make your donation before October 31.
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Pastoral Care and Connection |
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You are encouraged to share your joys and sorrows with the UUCR Pastoral Associates (see below). This team is a mixed group — but all have had previous life experiences and a variety of professional training in counseling and philosophy. Please contact one, or several of us, if you “want to talk.”
Pastoral Care Associates: Kevin Brien,
Gayle Folger, Nancy Holland, and Vida Morley
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OCTOBER
11 - Cynthia Ramsey
17 - Catherine Brooks
NOVEMBER
06 - Carl Gallegos
13 - Rev. Sue Browning
18 - Jan Brandon
20 - Tim Ford
24 - Diane Shields
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We want to help celebrate your birthday! If we didn't include your birthday, please contact the UUCR office by email (click here).
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Unitarian Universalists of the Chester River 914 Gateway Drive | Chestertown, MD | 21620
Phone: 410-778-3440
Office hours: W, Sa, Su — 8:30 am-12:30 pm
Closed — M, Tu, Th, F
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VERY END of REFLECTIONS for October 27, 2022
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