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Dear Beloveds,
Well, here it is. In the last few months, our worlds have been rocked by COVID, fires, long overdo rebellions for racial justice and so much more. And through it all, it’s like there has been this little countdown clock in our heads, slowly moving toward November 3rd. Whatever happens, whatever outcome different people are fervently wishing for, there is a sense that something big is coming, that some big change is headed our way. But is it?
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When I perform weddings, I often point to a weird paradox at the heart of a wedding. When two people stand in front of family, friends, or even just me, and make a public promise, nothing really changes about their lives. They don’t magically become different people. Their relationship, with all of its bright moments and tender spots, will be the same the next day as it was the day before. And, when they make those promises, everything changes about their lives. What was once two becomes one: one unit, one legal corporation, one future. The act of making the promise makes it so, even as it does nothing at all.
I believe that the election is something like that. No matter who is president when we wake up on November 4th or 5th, or 18th, or 29th (this might be a long hall folks, prepare yourselves) nothing will be different. COVID will still be with us, racism will still be a scourge upon our nation, the world will still be warming and our partisan divides will still be widening. And also everything will change. The work we need to do (for there will still be work, no matter who wins), the people who need to be protected, the causes we need to fight for will be profoundly affected by the choices we all make on November 3rd. Not just the choice of president but of senators, representatives, ballot initiatives and amendments. Voting is our fundamental responsibility as citizens, and the best way to make our values known.
Being a preacher around election season is a tricky business. We can’t, and shouldn’t tell people who to vote for. But here is what we can and should say:
Everyone, no matter what they believe or who they support, should vote (yes, I really do mean that).
Everyone, no matter what they believe or who they support, should have the ability to vote safely and easily.
Who and what you vote for is important. Your vote matters; never let anyone tell you differently.
Vote your values. Vote like your life depends on it. Vote like the happiness of people you love depends on it. Because it does.
We will wake up on November 4th or 5th or 18th or 29th and everything will have changed. And the world will still be here. Messed up, hurting, beautiful, and full of possibility. We have done the work we needed to prepare and there will be more work to do. And we are up to the task.
In faith,
Rev Aija
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November Worship
November 1 - "Just Breathe" In a time of heightened fear and anxiety we turn to the simplest fact of every life - our breath. Rev. Aija Simpson leads the service with worship associate Michele Burton.
November 8 - "In the Middle" As we wait to see what happens in our national political life, we practice the art of living in the in between. Rev. Aija Simpson preaching with worsip associate Chris Kapp. This service will be outdoors at the Cumberland Drive-In. See the information below for details.
November 15 - "Interfaith Lives" How do we live as people of many (and no) faiths? Rev. Aija Simpson preaches with worship associate Riley Johnson.
November 22 - "The First Thanksgiving" How do the stories we tell affect the people we are? Rev. Aija Simpson leads the service with worship associate Gisela Roethke.
November 29 - To be announced as details become available.
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS - November 8 service outdoors at Cumberland Drive-In
Worship on Sunday, November 8 will be held outdoors ---- at the Cumberland Drive-In 3290 Ritner Hwy in Newville, PA! Worship leaders will be LIVE and in person at the drive-in.
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Note that due to technological constraints, we will NOT be live-streaming this worship service. If all goes well, audio for the sermon and reflection will be posted to the UUCV Soundcloud channel as usual during the week following the service.) |
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HERE’S THE PLAN:
Gates will open at 10:00 am. Though the address is on Centerville Road, please enter through the main Drive-In entrance on Ritner Highway. (You may find it easiest to set your GPS to “Hair It Is” salon on Ritner Highway—that business shares an entrance with the Drive-In. After turning off of Ritner Hwy, just continue down the long driveway to the left of the salon.) |
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- Bring your own lawn chairs and masks to sit outside at your car with your household, or participate from inside your car. We will have volunteers directing you to park with appropriate “vehicular social distancing” between vehicles.
- Every person over the age of 2 must wear a mask covering the nose and mouth at all times when outside their vehicle.
If possible, plan to use the bathroom at home before attending. Bathrooms will be open but limited to one household at a time, and will need to be cleaned in between each use.
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The UUCV Book Group meets at 6:30 pm on the 4th Sunday of each month for a lively, thoughtful discussion. If you've ever wanted to get involved, we'd love to have you join us!
On November 22nd, we will select our books for January-October of 2021. Everyone is invited to nominate two books, which will be voted on by those in attendance. Please submit your title suggestions to the Book Group coordinator, Riley Johnson, by no later than Thursday, November 19th. If you have any questions, or would like the Zoom link to join the discussions, please email Riley at riles1806@gmail.com.
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UUCV Grocery Cards for Sale
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We are still available for you to purchase grocery card sales for Weis, Karns and Giant...and remember you can use your Giant card for gas also.
Send an email to Pam with your order and the cards will be mailed to your home. You can pay by sending a check to UUCV, PO Box 207, Boiling Springs, PA 17007 or you can pay by credit card directly to Pam...indicate in your email if you want to pay by credit card and Pam will arrange the payment with you.
Thanks for continuing to support UUCV.
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Do you need help making sure your vote counts?
For non bi-partisan assistance on questions you may have, call 866/OUR-VOTE or visit their website 866ourvote.org
Need a ride to get to the polls? Contact Pam by Friday, October 30 at noon and we will try to make arrangements to get you to your voting poll.
If you are able to volunteer to provide rides, please email Pam to sign up.
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November Social Justice Opportunities
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Change For The World—November, December
The next CFTW will be Hope Station, 149 West Penn Street, Carlisle, PA 17013.
Hope Station is a non-profit designed to enhance the quality of life, health, safety, and economic opportunities of the people who live in the neighborhood it comprises. Hope Station is not just a building. Hope Station seeks to lift up the entire neighborhood by tackling our most difficult problems through education, technology, job development and most importantly, teaching our children to become leaders by learning to respect themselves and others. Hope Station has a commitment to unity and pride, and embraces the success and diversity of its families. www.hopestationcarlisle.org
The Social Justice Committee has decided that our CFTW will be changed each quarter instead of each month allowing offerings to accumulate for three months in order to give recipients larger sums.
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CARES dinner for 30 - 40
The next CARES dinner will be on on Sunday, November 22.
We are providing a Harvest Dinner to CARES Carlisle for 25-35 people.
Contact Pam to sign up for an item. |
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We need the following items.
Chicken or Turkey Pot Pie Casseroles - 4 large ones needed
Cole Slaw - 3 quarts needed.
Dinner Rolls - 3 or 4 dozen needed
Butter - 1 lb needed
Applesauce - 3 quarts needed
Pies - Apple, Pumpkin, or Berry - 4 needed
Drinks - Apple Cider - 2 gallon
Milk - 2 gallon
Please plan to drop off your items between 3:00 and 3:30 on Sunday, November 22 at the UUCV Parking Lot. If you need someone to pick up your item, or if you have any questions, please email Carol Riesmeyer or call 724/822-6423. Thank you for your continued contributions and support.
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Election Week Ways to Connect
During Election Week, the staff are offering additional opportunities for connection, support, and community. Start your day with a grounding morning meditation with Rev. Aija. Take a lunch break at Rev. David's virtual piano bar and request your favorite song. Take your mind off of the news for an hour and join Emily and Pam for a Movie Trivia Night on Monday. Kids will have a chance to talk about their thoughts about election time with Story Time with Emily on Tuesday night, and everyone is invited to bring a pet or stuffie to share at "Yappy Hour" with Emily and Rev. Aija on Thursday. On Wednesday, Rev. Aija is offering 30-minute spots for a visit on her front porch (email Pam to sign up for a spot). We will also have a UUCV post-election worship service on Wednesday night, and join with hundreds of other UU's for a worship service on Thursday night hosted by the UUA. Rev. Aija will close our week with a Vespers service on Friday.
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Judy Welles Endowment
The Judy Welles Endowment Fund for the Unitarian Universalists of the Cumberland Valley has been established with a generous donation by Judy's brother and his wife, Jack and Di Clymer.
The fund is a permanent endowment fund for the benefit of the Unitarian Universalists of the Cumberland Valley, the income of which, as determined by the spending policy of the congregation, may be used from time to time as it may determine for any general or special purpose of the congregation. It is given to honor the service of Judy Welles and her husband, Duane Fickeisen, who served the congregation for fourteen years as its first ministers from its early years meeting in space rented from Dickinson College to its acquisition and occupation of the meeting house in Boiling Springs.
If you would like to contribute to the endowment in Judy's memory/honor, please send your checks to UUCV, PO Box 207, Boiling Springs, PA 17007. Make the check out to UUCV but be sure and put Judy Welles in the Memo Line.
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UUCV Temporary Building Closure
Early in each church year the Board of Trustees spends a day together talking about our purpose, responsibilities, goals, hopes and concerns for the year ahead. This year we met on a damp Saturday in September - in person though socially distanced on a huge screened in porch at a home in the woods. Our discussion was facilitated/guided by Cindy Terlazzo and we all agreed that it was indeed a good day!
The “concerns” and “responsibilities” part of the discussion is why I am writing this for our November Newsletter. When Cindy asked, “What our your biggest worries now?” we all expressed some anxiety about the state of the world in general and some particular concerns about the safety of our congregation and our church building during the time around the election.
We are known for our liberal religious values and for the fact that we work for fair and compassionate treatment of all people. And we are located in a part of the world where many folks have very different values – which perhaps could make us more likely to be a target for someone who disagrees with our vision.
The Board asked our Safe Congregation Response Team to consider what measures are reasonable to ensure the safety of church property and members. The team came up with several recommendations to assist the Board in developing a policy for building use during this contentious and potentially violent election season. The most important aspects of the policy follow.
From October 28th through November 15th no one will be allowed on church grounds, premises, or in the building for any reason, including staff, Board members, and building & grounds volunteers. Building checks, will be made several times a week by a team of two people. Teams have been established and will report findings to Pam Martin after completing each walk-through. The Board will announce the reopening of the building when they feel it is safe to do so.
Irreplaceable items (including our sanctuary chalice, essential church records, and member book) have been removed from the building. Pole lights have been updated to provide more light around the church and outside lights will be left on all the time from now on.
If you notice any building vandalism DO NOT ENTER OR INVESTIGATE. Leave the area and contact Rev. Aija or Board President Gail Black who will make a police report.
When the election is called and the Board decides it is safe to return to our limited building use policy, we will implement a buddy system: Nobody goes to the church after dark, and nobody goes onto property or into building alone. Masks must be worn, unless people are in two separate offices behind closed doors. This policy will be revised as needed as circumstances change over the coming months.
At all times, we strongly encourage non-engagement with any harassing individuals or groups. The goal is to disengage and get away safely as quickly as possible, not to get in a shouting match, altercation, or worse.
While this temporary policy may be an inconvenience, the safety of our staff and church members is our priority. We’d much prefer to look back one day and see that we did more than necessary than to find we hadn’t done enough.
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UUCV has been actively supporting homeless individuals and families in our area with our Change for the World contributions, donations of needed items and supplies, and providing a monthly meal for Community CARES. There are also many homeless youth in our area who are on their own and could really benefit from our support. The organization Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) actively provides multiple types of support for these young people and having adequate food is an ongoing issue. So, what can we do?
Many of us purchase grocery cards from UUCV and know that a portion of the value of each card is donated to UUCV by the grocery store. The WIn-Win idea is that any of us who are able to could make a donation toward the purchase of a grocery card from UUCV that would be donated to ECYEH to purchase food and supplies. Both UUCV and ECYEH would benefit, and we would be living our mission of caring for the world.
The plan for how this needs to work, if you are able to make a donation, is as follows:
- Donations need to be mailed to Pam Martin at UUCV, PO Box 207, Boiling Springs, PA 17007.
- Donations need to be checks made out to UUCV, and only in denominations of $25, $50, $75, or $100.
- Checks should have ECYEH marked in the memo line.
- Donations will be combined toward the purchase of $100 Giant cards as these offer the best return to UUCV.
- The grocery cards will then be given to ECYEH.
We recognize these guidelines are somewhat narrow, but they have been designed to minimize the book keeping and clerical effort involved. We all know Pam to be an enthusiastic and efficient administrator, and she is happy to process our donations to ECYEH using these guidelines.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to support area homeless youth as we all navigate these challenging times. Please contact Wendy Gebb with any questions.
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Greetings from the
Auction Committee
We are now on the downside of the ice slope to auction opening.
I wish I could let you all know that we have many items to bid on, but quite frankly, we do not.
The items currently up for auction are really nice, but we could use some more. I have decided to do away with the $25 value on items to be auctioned and open it to any nice item that we may be able to auction for the church.
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Some of you are artists and craft persons. Perhaps you have some handmade jewelry, wall hangings, or blankets, or quilts. One person suggested they may donate a wine basket. It would be great if we could get items such as these or anything else that your creative minds may come up with.
Please help make this auction which begins on November 27 a success!
It's extremely easy to participate. Shoot a few pictures, come up with a nice description and send it to UUCVauction2020@gmail.com and the committee will take care of the rest.
Please remember, your donated items no longer need to have a $25 value and the auction committee appreciates your support.
Cathy Dewalt
Auction Committee Chairperson
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NEWS FROM THE MOZAMBIQUE BURSARY COMMITTEE
Despite the challenges imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mo many Bursary girls are back at school in Molumbo and Namarroi. Seniors returned to campus on October 1st and tenth graders returned on October 21st. The seventh graders will go back to school on November 1st. Mozambique’s Education Ministry is hoping to complete enough of the school year to promote students to the next grade in 2021.
At Molumbo and Namarroi five and four girls are attending, respectively. Four girls, who are secondary school graduates, are attending vocational training schools as well. Below you will see the girls wearing masks and washing their hands so that they can attend school safely.
Your generous donations have helped provide masks, portable hand washing stations, and other hygiene supplies. In 2021, your support for the UUCV Mozambique Bursary Program will be more crucial than ever before. Look for weekly updates, as well as a letter asking for donations, in the weeks to come.
Susan Rimby, submitted for the Bursary Committee.
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ZOOM Worship
Most of our activities will be held in our main Zoom channel, which is accessible in any of the following ways:
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- point your browser to uuma.zoom.us/j/9428106896 , OR
- “listen in” (without video) by telephone, by calling 646-876-9923 and entering Meeting ID 942 810 6896
If you don’t already have Zoom installed on your computer, clicking any Zoom link will prompt you to begin the installation. There is no charge to you for the software or its use.
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UUCV Fundraising Opportunities
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https://smile.amazon.com/
Do you shop on Amazon? Go instead to https://smile.amazon.com/
AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support UUCV every time you shop, at no cost to you. Select Unitarian Universalist of Cumberland Valley as your charitable organization and everytime you make a purchase Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to UUCV. Same great producs, same prices as Amazon, but https://smile.amazon.com/ makes money for UUCV. |
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UUCV Yard Sale Cancelled...but you can still donate!
Do you have a large item or higher priced item you would like to donate to UUCV?
Our church administrator will advertise and manage on Facebook's Marketplace with proceeds going to UUCV.
Contact Pam to make arrangements for drop off of your item to UUCV. |
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