Sunday, January 28th, 2024

Midnight Moments: the Grief Inherent in Love

(In Person & Zoom)

In A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis writes that "in grief, nothing stays put. One keeps on emerging from a phase, but it always recurs. Round and Round. Everything repeats. Am I going in circles, or dare I hope I am on a spiral?"

This service will consider the roles that grief and letting go serve

in our lives, and will dwell on ways that we might engage grief

from Unitarian Universalist perspectives.

Worship Leader: Rev Esther Wallace

Worship Associate: Bob Campbell

February's theme is Justice & Equity:

Feb 4: Songs of Peace & Justice

Feb 11: Good & Evil: Repairing Bad Theology

Feb 18: Striving Toward an Ideal

If you would like to revisit a past service, please go to "Service Archive" on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@UUFSCCAptos8123 .

Our goal is to provide a meaningful worship experience for all—

for those who can attend in-person and for those who can’t.

Please join Sunday in-person or click the link below to join online

as we live our mission and work toward our vision of beloved community.

ZOOM Link for Sunday:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84095601835?pwd=bXNPemtaOUN5cVFNS2tzZldLQ3B2Zz09

Meeting ID: 840 9560 1835

Passcode: 612397

When you click on this link on Sunday, you will see a pop-up window asking: "Allow the host to unmute you, etc." with two buttons: Allow and Don't Allow.

Please click on “Don’t Allow” and you will then join the meeting as usual.

The Zoom link can also be found on the Church Calendar

(https://uufscc.org/site/full-calendar/)

Hospitality this Sunday:

This Sunday, Jan 28, the 4th Sunday of the month, please note that our hospitality team will be short-staffed due to a Covid exposure.

We therefore ask that people with surnames T-Z who can, please bring FINGER FOOD ONLY (no need for utensils or reheating/kitchen prep) to share after our 10am service. Remember we have a Town Hall meeting following the service.

Thank you for helping out with lunch clean up by doing your part to dispose of trash properly. There is new signage in the kitchen to assist you in knowing which bin to use.

Food waste along with compostable plates and cups go in the compost bin while plastic forks and knives go in the trash cans.

If you'd like to bring your own reusable flatware in a baggie and

take it home to wash, that's a great sustainable option.

Stay tuned for the Fellowship's switch to compostable flatware as

we are planning for this once we have used up all the plastic supplies on hand. For more information about where to dispose

of trash, see this flyer.

Looking ahead:

Feb 4: Surnames (A-D)

Feb 11: Surnames (E-M)

Feb 18: Surnames (N-S)

Thank you so much for your contributions.

Email questions or suggestions to jeanietrigg@yahoo.com   

Threshold Ministry Plan

and the Search for a New Minister

You have a sacred opportunity to transform yourself

and this Fellowship into a sustainable place for you

and for future generations. – Rev. Russ Menk

Recognizing that we are in a time of great transition, our leadership proposed a planning process last year for a Threshold Ministry Plan to define strategic priorities, determine what we are seeking in ministerial leadership, and develop long-term financial sustainability. 

A Transition Steering Team or “TST” was formed to lead the process. Current TST members include Board co-President Randy James,

Vice President Carol Schimke, Trustee Chuck Torrey, Ann McCrow, Carolyn Johnson-Gutter and Bob Campbell.

Please plan to attend a one-hour Town Hall meeting this Sunday, January 28 after the service when the Transition Steering Team will present the proposed Threshold Ministry Plan.

Sign-up for Small Group Ministry

Small Group Ministry groups are forming, please sign-up after Sunday service or by e-mailing Diana Wirt at diwirt@sbcglobal.net. 

Be sure to include your preferred group in your e-mail to Diana. Registration is open until 1/28.

Here are the groups by location and day and times

Santa Cruz Westside: 3rd Tuesday, 6:00-8:00 pm

Santa Cruz, Westside: 2nd Thursday, 7:00-9:00 pm

Santa Cruz, Midtown: Monday, 1:30-3:00 pm

Santa Cruz, Midtown: Wednesday 2:00-4:00 pm

(Specific day/time and week of the month will be determined by enrollment)

Capitola/Soquel: 1st Wednesday, 2:00-4:00 pm

Aptos North: 3rd Wednesday, 7:00-9:00 pm

Aptos South: 2nd Thursday, 2:00-4:00 pm

Felton: Day & Time TBD, perhaps this can be agreed upon by those who sign-up.

Currently no Zoom group is set up, but if people show enough interest we will try to accommodate this group.

When the registration is finished the sizes of the groups will be evaluated and some groups may be combined to achieve manageable group size.

Adult Religious Education Offerings

Save the date! March 7, 2024, for a new ARE offering: 

Emotional Versatility Training by the Love and Power Institute 

of Marsha Hudson and Norman Brown. 

You will benefit from the wisdom of our emotions and learn how to improve relationships, not only between you and others, but with the natural world as well.

Stay tuned!  Contact person:  marshahudson17@gmail.com

Climate

Anyone wishing to be involved in Climate ARE,

contact Surrey Kent: surreykent@baymoon.com

Future

Jennifer Choate is considering starting a book discussion group,

but she can’t do it without participation. Please contact her if you are interested. (Note: it could outlast her year as Chair of ARE, if it works.)

Suggestions: Ministry for the Future, Remarkably Bright Creatures, Absolution, The MLK Biography, The Body Keeps Score, etc.

Please contact Jennifer with any proposals for Adult RE offerings, especially if one is interested in leading. The committee will help and support you. Suggestions for subjects include a beloved or challenging book, climate, social justice topics, spirituality, ethics, philosophy, UU Thought, history, politics, creativity, etc.

If you need Jennifer's phone number, contact the UUFSCC office.

January Shared Plate:

ABC/African-American

Community Health Group

This January, we will support the ABC/African-American Community Health Group, a program affiliated with the Walnut Ave Family and Women's Center. Their mission at ABC is to empower African -Americans to be active and informed health consumers and survivors through self-help activities and health education.

The African-American Community Health Group aspires to create

a dialogue with the community at large about racial disparities in health and the need for cultural and racial sensitivity.

Currently, the program has several ongoing projects including a series of health education lectures promoting healthy choices including nutrition, disease prevention and maintenance, and 1 on 1 peer health outreach work. ABC is still the only grass roots health non-profit serving the central coast Black population.

Thank you for giving generously to the Shared Plate!

Be a Great Greeter!

We are a welcoming congregation. You can be part of that by being a Greeter. And you get to learn more about the Congregation and the wonderful people who come to our doors! Be part of a Team each Sunday. The commitment is based on your availability and is about 1-2 Sundays/per month. This is ideal for people fairly new to the Fellowship or very seasoned who want to make a difference.

For details, see or contact Wendy Wyckoff (wwyckoff2@gmail.com) or Ginny Aragon (gkaragon@aol.com)

The Caring Connection of UUFSCC

We provide short-term help to members and friends who are experiencing health or personal difficulties. This could include help with transportation, meals, errands, phone calls and more.

In addition, several members have agreed to serve, and have been trained, as pastoral care counselors.

To request the help of the Caring Connection team, email us at caringconnection@uufscc.org or call and leave a message on the office phone (831) 684-0506 and your message will get to us.

If you know someone who could use a little help, you can also make a referral and we will reach out to them.

Community Items of Interest

Calling all Chilitarians!

DATE: Friday, February 9th

TIME: 6-8:30pm

LOCATION: Resurrection Church Community Hall,

7600 Soquel Drive, Aptos 

This year, our Fellowship can support the Annual Chili Cook-off Fundraiser by buying a ticket ($20/kids under 12 Free) and attending this community happening! Lot’s of chili to taste and vote on.

This event supports the ‘Shower the People’ hot shower program

for our unhoused community members and is sponsored by

the Mid-County Homeless Coalition of Faith Communities.

Menu: Chili, cornbread, dessert, beverages, and music.

You can’t have more fun than this and it’s a great cause.

See Ginny Aragon for tickets after Sunday services, go to the Eventbrite link below, or buy at the door (unless it’s sold out). https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-great-chili-cook-off-tickets-797009455737?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Healer Trio brings

Hope, Happiness and Joyful Hearts

Where: The Resource Center for Nonviolence

612 Ocean St. Santa Cruz Ca. 95060

When: February 10, 2024 3pm

Donation Benefit for The Center for Farmworker Families

sliding scale, $10-$20 no one turned a way for lack of funds.

Healer Trio is Gail Swain, Claire Paul, Karen Katz and they are accompanied by Jerry Paul, piano, Jeff Arlt on drums, and featuring Michael Levy and Steve Bare.

Healer Trio performs music in the Americana genre that touches and inspires everyone to be the change we need to transform our world. Valentine’s weekend is a great time to celebrate love for each other, humankind, our families and friends, and Planet Earth, and that is what Healer Trio does. Come and join us for a delightful concert, guaranteed to help you smile.

The Center for Farmworker Families is a non-profit in Watsonville dedicated to advocacy and assistance for the men and woman who put food on our tables every day.

Contact Gail Swain, gailsings@cruzio.com

Tickets available at the door and https://healertrio.bpt.me./

Fellowship Monthly Calendar

& One Church Tutorials

To access the Fellowship's monthly calendar, click here.   

The Zoom links for all UUFSCC meetings and services are included on the Calendar.

All of the tutorials for One Church can be found on our website under Donate or Pledge or click here.

Contacts

Office Phone: 831.684.0506

Administration Office

admin@uufscc.org

Office Hours: Mon-Friday, 10am-3pm

calendar@uufscc.org

Reserve space for a Fellowship event or place an item on the Fellowship public calendar

announce@uufscc.org

Submit announcements to Current Happenings by Wednesday 5PM 

Progressive Religious Network 

on Facebook

helpinghands@uufscc.org

A private list server to advertise items or services needed or offered, events, or express thanks. An email sent to this address will be forwarded to the full list. Participation is restricted to Members and Friends of the Fellowship.

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Anything to do with the Fellowship website; edits, new content, questions, or comments