Even though I place little stock in making such declarations for changed behavior, I find that I do treasure the sense of hope that I feel with the coming of a new year.  Despite my lack of discipline, the promise of twelve fresh months – a clean slate, a time to begin again somehow rings true for me.
 

As I think back over this past year, I feel the weightiness of much of what transpired in 2019 – continued war, political insanity, the intensification of climate change – the list could go on for quite some time.  If I let my thoughts stop here I can become stuck in an anxious and depressed state of paralysis.   It then seems wise counsel to refrain from thinking about the mess we are in.  Yet, how can we begin to tackle any of this if we consider it all to be too depressing to even think about?

The practice that I have taken on, a practice that has become more than a resolution to begin a new year with is one of Active Hope.  I have been inspired by teachers such as Joanna Macy who has written a book with that very name.  Joanna describes Active Hope as “something we do rather than something we have.”  She calls it a process – one that can be applied to any aspect of our lives.   She says it involves three basic steps.

The first step is to look at the reality of our situation clearly; secondly, we need to identify the hope we have for whatever it is that we are struggling with and consider the direction we would like to see things move in or think about the values we hold dear that we would like to see conveyed; and third, we begin to take action to head in that direction. 

This is a process that has little to do with optimism; we can apply this strategy even if we feel quite hopeless.  The guiding principle lies in our intention.  It lies in our act of making a conscious choice.  Ms. Macy encourages us to consider that “Rather than weighing our chances and proceeding only when we feel hopeful, we focus on our intention and let that be our guide.”

Your intention to gather together in this community is one way to engage in Active Hope.  We can choose to engage the challenges of the world together.  We can choose to lift each other up when life wears us down because it is together that we can do what we cannot do alone. 

May this New Year be filled with a collective resolve to live deeply into our principles, to look at the reality of whatever lies before us, to consider the story we want to tell ourselves and to actively take one step and then the next toward strengthening our capacity to continue moving toward what we hold most dear.  

With deep gratitude,

Cindy 

VOLUNTEER at the FARM STAND

When: Thursday mornings, January 9^th and 23^rd from 9:30 – 11:00

Where: Project SHARE’s Farm Stand is located at 123 Lincoln Street, Carlisle

Why: To provide fresh fruits and vegetables to those in need.

Please sign up at Social Justice table.

Change For The World – Carlisle Area Ride Service (CARS)

The Carlisle Area Ride Service, or CARS, is a free service provided by volunteers to low-income residents with limited access to transportation. CARS has covered more than 1,500 miles transporting more than 100 clients to medical appointments, job interviews, the Project Share food bank, school meetings, career training services, and the Social Security and Welfare offices.

CARS volunteer drivers are dedicated to helping ensure that lack of transportation is not a barrier to good health, well-being, and personal success. Local social service organizations, including Community CARES, Domestic Violence, Safe Harbour, the Salvation Army, Career Link, and Cumberland County Housing, have referred their clients to CARS for transportation support.

CARS has no paid staff. The money collected in January will go towards website hosting and associated expenses, the phone line, and materials for getting their information out there.

CARS can always use more drivers to supplement the current roster of 17. Occasionally there are times when there are more people needing rides than available drivers. To sign up please go to their website, carlislearearideservice.com, or email carlislears@gmail.com.

Want to plan ahead?  Check out all the RE events scheduled through June 2020.

All of these events are open to all ages, not only for families with young children.  These events are also a great opportunity to invite new friends who may want to learn more about us but feel shy about coming to church on a Sunday - is there someone in your life you would like to invite?

Fall Adult RE Schedule - 2019

These classes will be held on Sunday morning’s beginning at 9:00 am in the Board Room.  Everyone is welcome to join.

December 29: Christology Wisdom

Wisdom Christology is that branch of Christian theology that looks at the ways in which the Jewish Wisdom literature was used to help craft the Jesus story.  In the gospels, Jesus himself is often portrayed as Wisdom personified.  Wisdom also becomes the “kingdom of God” within us that can be found by seeking.  These revelations, among others, have caused some scholars to have serious doubts about the historical existence of Jesus.  Discussion leader: Don Hoffman.

Here are the details:

• It’s at Chen’s Asian Restaurant (www.chenscarlisle.com) at 30 N. Hanover St., Carlisle, a BYOB dining site with a wide variety of menu items, including some gluten-free.
• For those who wish to attend, no RSVP is needed, but be there by 6:00 p.m. Our group sits together, typically at just individual tables, in the middle section of the restaurant.
• It’s on the second Tuesday OR Wednesday of each month:
  • On odd months, like January, March, and May, it’s a Tuesday
  • On even months, like February, April and June, it’s a Wednesday
  • This schedule was designed to accommodate as many people as possible, since no single evening in a given month suited everyone

Although the UUCV website calendar and the PrE-Views do include the dinner dates, the specific 2020 dining nights follow, in case you’d like to add them to your new 2020 calendar: Jan 14, Feb 12, Mar 10, Apr 8, May 12, June 10, July 14, Aug 12, Sept 8, Oct 14, Nov 10 and Dec 9.

Hope to see you one of these evenings!

Save the Date

You are invited to SAVE THE DATE for the ordination of our intern, Cindy Terlazzo.  

March 28, 2020.  The event will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York.  More specific details will follow after the new year.

For full descriptions and pricing information of the events, click here
 

Winter Walk through the woods (1 spot)                  Yoga Nidra for UU’s (20 spots)

New Year, New Baby, New Tradition (13 spots)    Winter Game Night (3 spots)

Date Night Childcare (9 spots)                                   Couples Massage Class (10 spots)

Yoga Nidra for Grief (28 spots)                                  Learn to Crochet (2 spots)

Learn to make Spanakopita (5 spots)                       Piano Bar Time (2 spots)

Trip to Kalorama Neighborhood (2 spots)                Sondheim Dinner (2 spots)

Bee Talk & Honey Pairing (2 spots)                           Spaghetti after Church (3 spots)

Dance like Fred & Ginger (10 spots)

John Terlazzo & Voices in the Hall Concert (unlimited)

Grocery Cards – Easy fundraiser for UUCV

Don’t forget to stop by the Grocery Card table after service on Sundays to buy a Giant, Karns or Weis card to purchase all your picnic groceries.  This is a great fundraiser for UUCV – we receive 10% of the face value of every Giant Card sold and 5% for each Karns and Weis card sold.  Cards can also be purchased during the week in the church office Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 am – 1:30 pm and on Wednesdays from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.  And you can use your Giant card for gas, Carlisle Borough Trash Bags, prescriptions, and beer for those over 21!

https://smile.amazon.com/ and make money for UUCV

When you do your amazon online shopping, use https://smile.amazon.com/  and choose Unitarian Universalists of Cumberland Valley as the charity you would like to support.  You only need to enter our name in once, and it will remain the charity until you change it.  UUCV receives quarterly checks based on the amount spent on this site.  There is no extra cost to you.