by Kitty Merrill | Dec 4, 2017 | Building and Grounds
I am sure many of you have noticed the improvement to the front of the church. Sherry Anderson, Joyce Sattler, and others have been working on pulling weeds. After the windstorm in October, we decided to spread pine needles out front to suppress the weeds.
If you who have been at church at night you have noticed the bright new lights along the entry side of the church. You can thank John Puccetti for getting that project done.
This month we had a whole army attacking the pine needles. Ruth and George Owens, Bryan Buck, Rob March, Mike Sixbey, Joyce Sattler, Merle Oberg, and Krista and her son Garrick were the enthusiastic rakers. Almost everyone seemed to find time to do more than rake.
Mike hung a white board for RE and consulted on another project. Merle checked irrigation out front and changed a broken sprinkler head. Bryan replaced a light in RE restroom. Kitty Merrill and Ruth trimmed plants in and near the raised beds. Ruth also broke down cardboard boxes for the trash. George swept the front of the church and along the front of the building he removed spider webs. He and Joyce picked up trash. Joyce also replaced the sign and a stepping stone in the Covenant Garden. Linda threw away old flowers and old décor on the flower-arranging shelf.
How wonderful to have so many enthusiastic workers. The camaraderie this group shares is inspiring. Come experience it for yourself on December 16. It’s called a work party because we always schedule time to socialize and always have snacks. In November we had a yummy Concord Grape pie made by Erin Merrill and donated by Joyce Sattler.
by Kitty Merrill | Dec 4, 2017 | Stewardship Report
Did UU Know?
There are two reasons UU Churches have an annual pledge campaign each year. The first is obvious. We need to know what our members will pledge to donate for the next church year so we can have good, current information to construct a useful budget. Second, and not so obvious, we need to connect with each other about why we value our church involvement so much that we agree to make ongoing donations.
For next year our annual pledge campaign will be a one-on-one canvass. Guided by our minister, our stewardship team will talk face-to-face with every member about their reasons for being members and for renewing their pledge for another year. This type of campaign is considered valuable for many reasons and one of the most difficult to implement for one reason. We are all so busy we don’t want to add another meeting to our schedule. We hope you remember this article when another member contacts you in March to set a time to meet. It’s about you and our shared lives. Please say yes or return our call.
Additionally, it will take many volunteers to reach our entire community during this campaign and we need all the help we can get. Contact Maura Raffensperger, stewardship team leader at 616-2466 to discuss how you can help
by Kitty Merrill | Dec 4, 2017 | Justice Actions
Dear UUCV Community,
Hope has an inherent looking to the future, yet I hear so often about the magic of living in the present moment. Part of the reason children are so delightful is because they dwell so deeply in the here and now. I think it’s important to become aware of all of the reasons to be happy in everyday moments. No matter if you’re in jail or watching a beautiful sunset, you can discover a million reasons to be happy, from your heartbeat, fresh air, beholding the beautiful face of a loved one, a cold glass of water… According to Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, this is it.
And yet I have a world vision of love, equality of resources, a healthy planet, and justice so unlike what goes on in the world. Marianne Williamson shares that those who hate have had more conviction than those of us who love. Part of what draws me to the Unitarian Universalist faith is the community that works to build the world we dream about all the time. May we have an active hope that sustains our moral conviction that there is a light within every being and that we are all interconnected. Look at all the active verbs in these lines from Emily Dickinson:
“Hope is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all -”
May your winter season be as beautiful and soothing to you and your families! Also, if you’re interested, Chalica is a weeklong UU holiday, starting on the first Monday in December, with each day focused on one of the seven UU Principles. It’s an invitation to spend a day with each of the Principles, reflecting on their meaning and doing a good deed focused on each one. See Emily or RE committee chairs for a Chalica packet.
Happy Holidays, Emily Carroll, DRE emily@uuventura.org
by Kitty Merrill | Dec 4, 2017 | Justice Actions
Hope
Adversity seems to be happening everywhere and at a pace that is emotionally and mentally mind-numbing. That’s how it feels to me. Perhaps we share that feeling. With the recent natural events of four hurricanes, two major earthquakes, and fires, along with the many troubling human events of the past year, it would be reasonable to just stay under one’s bedcovers. But we can’t. So, how shall we understand and cope with these events?
I like the myth tale of Pandora’s Box which comes from ancient Greece around 675 BC. It is an origin story. When the box was opened, all the terrible demons escaped and ever since the world has known hardship. Except that in the bottom of the box was a still small voice announcing itself. That voice is Hope, and it inspires us to persevere against the ills of the world.
We are entering the Holiday Season, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, and New Year. This is the “Giving and Receiving” time of year that can leave a person worn out just wondering about the meaning of it all, especially considering how commercialized everything has become. Poverty of circumstances, emotional losses and more are emphasized, reminding us to remember our individual blessings and calling us to consider the importance of gratitude in our lives. This is a hopeful time of year with endings and anticipated beginnings.
At the UUCV I believe we give hope to people, and ourselves, that one day things will get better. We do that by being of service to others. That would be acts of doing good, and being kind in all things. Core values are exhibited every day by members and friends of our congregation through our outward actions as exemplified by our many outreach programs. Letters of appreciation from those we have helped are on the bulletin board by the copy machine. Unlike the giving that only occurs during the Holidays, the gift of service to others is not seasonal. Thank you to everyone for this daily ministry that makes a difference in the lives of so many.
The following is quoted from UUA President Susan Frederick-Gray: “You all are on the front lines – providing ministry and leadership to people of all ages, helping us all not to lose our humanity in this very inhumane time, helping us all not to lose hope.
Today, as I awoke, the words of Adrienne Rich were on my heart:
My heart is moved by all I cannot save:
so much has been destroyed
I have to cast my lot with those
who age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power
reconstitute the world.
My fellow leaders, I cast my lot with you. We will not give up hope.”
Living in Paradise,
Bryan Buck, President
by Kitty Merrill | Dec 4, 2017 | Notes from President's Desk
Hope
Adversity seems to be happening everywhere and at a pace that is emotionally and mentally mind-numbing. That’s how it feels to me. Perhaps we share that feeling. With the recent natural events of four hurricanes, two major earthquakes, and fires, along with the many troubling human events of the past year, it would be reasonable to just stay under one’s bedcovers. But we can’t. So, how shall we understand and cope with these events?
I like the myth tale of Pandora’s Box which comes from ancient Greece around 675 BC. It is an origin story. When the box was opened, all the terrible demons escaped and ever since the world has known hardship. Except that in the bottom of the box was a still small voice announcing itself. That voice is Hope, and it inspires us to persevere against the ills of the world.
We are entering the Holiday Season, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, and New Year. This is the “Giving and Receiving” time of year that can leave a person worn out just wondering about the meaning of it all, especially considering how commercialized everything has become. Poverty of circumstances, emotional losses and more are emphasized, reminding us to remember our individual blessings and calling us to consider the importance of gratitude in our lives. This is a hopeful time of year with endings and anticipated beginnings.
At the UUCV I believe we give hope to people, and ourselves, that one day things will get better. We do that by being of service to others. That would be acts of doing good, and being kind in all things. Core values are exhibited every day by members and friends of our congregation through our outward actions as exemplified by our many outreach programs. Letters of appreciation from those we have helped are on the bulletin board by the copy machine. Unlike the giving that only occurs during the Holidays, the gift of service to others is not seasonal. Thank you to everyone for this daily ministry that makes a difference in the lives of so many.
The following is quoted from UUA President Susan Frederick-Gray: “You all are on the front lines – providing ministry and leadership to people of all ages, helping us all not to lose our humanity in this very inhumane time, helping us all not to lose hope.
Today, as I awoke, the words of Adrienne Rich were on my heart:
My heart is moved by all I cannot save:
so much has been destroyed
I have to cast my lot with those
who age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power
reconstitute the world.
My fellow leaders, I cast my lot with you. We will not give up hope.”
Living in Paradise,
Bryan Buck, President
