A warm winter joy…

The glorious scents of simmering food and the delightful sensations of tasty recipes… all amid the chat and hustle of others preparing a meal together.  These can be special occasions.  At UUCV our church kitchen is a special place of community.

The Capital Campaign committee is delighted to share winter progress and improvements occurring in UUCV’s kitchen.  Enjoy some photos:  a new, larger refrigerator, 2 new stoves, commercial storage shelving, commercial washing/sanitation sink, stainless steel food prep table, and new LED ceiling lights.   Also, not visible in photos, are an upgraded hooded fan and new electrical outlets.  You are welcome to stop by to see the changes in person!

*The old refrigerator is now relocated in the dining room and will be for RE and staff use.

Caring for UUCV’s Kitchen

As we return to activities in the church, everyone must help give proper care to the kitchen.  Upgrades are intended to allow for large group food preparation, which means adhering to safety and sanitation requirements.  The kitchen area should be reserved for food prep and clean-up.   Activities which should not occur in the kitchen include:

• Craft and art projects
• Washing of paint brushes, art supplies, tools, yard items, work buckets, rags, etc.
• Repairs to – furniture, tools, misc. items
• Storage of non-kitchen use items (wash buckets, ice chests/tubs, mops, etc.)

Craft & B&G clean-ups should use:

1. Downstairs- The utility sink near the dining room entrance
2. Upstairs- The mop basin in the custodial closet (next to the hospitality hub)

Guidelines for Change for the World (CFTW)

The Social Justice Committee of UUCV uses the following guidelines in choosing Change for the World recipients that are recommended by congregants or members of the Committee:

Funds collected will be donated to organizations or groups providing needed services that are in keeping with UUCV’s mission and the UU principles.  Special consideration will be given to local groups for whom a donation of $200-$300 dollars might be crucial.

UUCV members who wish to nominate a recipient of CFTW are required to submit a UUCV CFTW Proposal form (located on the SJC table in the Social Hall).  Proposed nominations will be reviewed by the UUCV Social Justice Committee on a quarterly basis.  Please note the SJC reserves the right to make special selections during emergency situations, such as was done for hurricane relief.

For more information, please contact a member of the Social Justice Committee.

UUCV Social Justice Committee

The 8th Principle: “We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”

www.8thprincipleuu.org

Written in 2013 by Paula Cole Jones and Bruce Pollack-Johnson, and edited by people of color members of the UU community, The 8th Principle is under review by the UUA’s Article II Study Commission, with a plan to bring it to General Assembly for a required two stage vote in 2023 and 2024. However, there is a grassroots effort encouraging individual congregations to adopt the 8th Principle now, and to date more than 120 congregations have done so. The authors of the 8th Principle recognized that one could strive to live as a good UU following the 7 Principles without really having to think or do anything about racism and other oppressions on a systemic level. The authors also believe that until we take accountable action toward dismantling racism and other “isms” in ourselves and our institutions, our journey toward spiritual wholeness will be incomplete.

The process of adopting the 8th Principle calls us to examine our own hearts honestly and to seek healing when we find white privilege, othering of those different from ourselves, and barriers to love. It calls us to look at the policies, procedures, and practices of UUCV through a racial justice lens and to apply that same lens to how we engage with the wider community. It calls us to the next step in building the Beloved Community where all are celebrated and welcome. Each of us plays a role in this process and you are encouraged to participate. To begin you can visit www.8thprincipleuu.org where there is a wealth of information to explore.

A description of the book from the UUA website - “At a time when racial justice, environmental justice, and economic justice are seen as issues competing for time, attention, and resources, Justice on Earth explores the ways in which the three are intertwined…The book asks us to recognize that our faith calls us to long-haul work for justice for our human kin, for the Earth and for all life…”

Beginning this month (February 2022), we invite you to read one essay a month and then participate in a quarterly discussion about the issues raised. The first discussion will be held at the end of April. Please stay tuned for specifics on the date, time, and location of the first discussion group.

Report from UU Justice PA from UUCV’s liaison, Cheryl Parsons

--If you haven’t considered becoming a UU Justice PA member, please do. Yearly memberships go from January 1st to December 31st. Suggested support donation is $40 annually, but you can become a member and receive their helpful legislative updates for a donation as small as $1. Their website is www.UUJusticePA.org. The goal is to have 10% of each UU congregation become members. We are slightly more than halfway to that goal. Please help us reach it.

--The current organization effort statewide is to support raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage in steps to reach $15 an hour. Although many jobs are now paying more, caregivers for seniors and those with disabilities, childcare workers, and CNAs in nursing homes, are among those at record low per hour remuneration. All of PA’s neighboring states have higher minimum wages than $7.25. Higher minimum wages translate to a more stable workforce, less need for training new employees, and better customer relations from workers. Low minimum wages especially affect women and People of Color. You are urged to contact Republican Legislators to support raising the minimum wage.

--UU Justice PA has lobby days in Harrisburg at the capitol each month organized and overseen by Rev. Joan Sabatino, their director. UUs from across the state come to meet with legislators or their representatives to pass out literature and convey support for bills that resonate with our UU values. February’s lobby day is February 8th and the topic is Good Government. If you would like to learn how to lobby and are available for the morning of February 8th, contact Cheryl Parsons (cherylhparsons@comcast.net) Participants from UCH and the York UU congregation are especially needed during the winter months, since we have shorter drive times to Harrisburg. No prior experience is necessary, and there are roles for those who prefer to be note takers, story tellers, as well as those who are more familiar with the issue at hand.

--Our state legislature is rapidly passing bills designed to bypass a governor’s veto by making them constitutional amendments to be voted on in off year primary elections. The wording of these bills can be very misleading and confusing, intentionally designed to lead voters to vote yes for them. Take your voting seriously and be sure to educate yourself on the ramifications of these bills designed to make the legislature a more powerful branch of our state government and diminish the powers of the executive branch, skewing the checks and balances that are so important to democracy.

--Stay tuned for information about several postcard writing initiatives. April’s postcard writing focus will be designed to get out the vote. It will be coordinated with a nationwide effort spearheaded by the UUA. If you are aware of any UUs running for office please notify Cheryl Parsons, so we can support those people.

--Take advantage of the month-long Side with Love initiative to share, learn, and grow. Sunday, January 16 - Monday, February 14

30 Days of Love is our annual celebration that runs approximately from Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January through Valentine’s Day in February. It is an opportunity to collectively nurture our spirits, deepen our understanding, and take action on our values for collective liberation.

In 2022, 30 Days of Love will focus on Side With Love’s four intersectional justice priorities, with opportunities each week for communities and people of all ages to ground, grow, and act together for justice.

Side with Love is a public advocacy campaign that seeks to harness love’s power to stop oppression. It is sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association and all are welcome to join. Subscribe to get updates.

We became members of First Unitarian Church and both of us, but particularly Judy, have been active in the UU Retired Ministers and Partners Association. I served as secretary of the UU Ministers Association and have coached congregations through the ministerial search process. Judy and I were summer ministers (twice) in Portland and did a stint as sabbatical fill-in ministers in Vancouver (WA). Judy helped start a knitting guild in Portland. We have witnessed the growth of our nine grandchildren. (The two oldest will be 13 in February.) In 2019, we made a trip to Iceland and Norway. That had been a long-time dream and was as much and more than we had imagined. Both of us loved it!

About five years ago, Judy was diagnosed with a rare appendix cancer. She died at home in September 2020, using Oregon’s Death with Dignity option when no further treatments were available and death was clearly coming close. (That option was one of the many reasons we chose to retire in Oregon.) She was disappointed not to live long enough to see her grandchildren become young adults or even to vote in November, but she spent part of the morning of her last day writing letters to potential Pennsylvania voters urging them to vote. Of course I grieve my loss after 26 years of marriage, a sure sign of our love and care for one another.

I am well and enjoy several networks of support, including especially family and friends. I am part of a book group, a walking group, and a climate change discussion group. I am working on memoir in a writing workshop. I run a grief support group for retired UU ministers and partners of retired ministers. I continue to enjoy gardening, cooking, photography, and daily walks with my one-year-old chocolate Lab pup, Rilke. Shortly after Judy’s death, I began to practice a radical “Yes.” Unless there was good reason to decline an invitation, I accepted it. The pandemic, of course, often provided the unwelcome good reason to decline. But even so, I have made several new friends, which is often not easy for a older introverted guy.

I think often of UUCV and with great fondness for members of the congregation and our ministry with you. It is gratifying to witness your continued evolution from afar. I wish each of you well in your common mission.

In faith,

Duane Fickeisen

Thirty-one (31) of the respondents were not likely to attend in person but forty-one respondents (41) said, at that time, that they would probably attend church in person. The first Sunday we opened the doors many did just that. As time went on the attendance dwindled and by the time omicron was well established in our county, we had very few folks attending in person – other that the worship team and greeters we had one congregant on the first Sunday in January and seven on January 9th. So – back to all virtual.

The number of cases is trending down steeply now so we will be in-person again on February 6th. And….drum roll!.... Religious Education for the children will resume that day! Our Interim Director of Religious Education, Riley Johnson, will be reaching out to all families with the particulars prior to that day.

The biggest take-away from the survey results is that we want to be together – and for more than sitting in the sanctuary masked and distanced. (“There is no point to attending in person if there won’t be any personal or social contact with other members of the congregation. Might as well be comfortable and warm at home.”)

The number of folks who told us they would be fully vaccinated by January was very high – all but one of the responding adults and probably all but two or three of the households with children. The number of unvaccinated children was an estimate.

We got some responses rooted in frustration, others in gratitude. Some shared anxieties, some shared hopes. Folks asked how other Pennsylvania UU Congregations are handling this issue, whether the UUA requires such severe restrictions and whether any churches are requiring proof of vaccination as a condition for returning to in-person worship.

To clarify;

· the UUA makes suggestions but has no power to require us to have any restrictions,

· most other congregations have handled in the same way we have,

· and yes some congregations have required proof of vaccination for attending.

We formed a “Return Team” in June that has followed the research diligently to plan for and initiate in-person worship. Our Board of Trustees has carefully (and at great length) discussed the suggestions made by that team and our Safe Congregation Response Team. We decided when we first developed our policy for closing/reopening/meetings/activities that we would not require proof of vaccination to get together. Some of our reasons for making that decision include;

· Not everyone can be vaccinated so requiring vaccination can reinforce ableism,

· Some folks are reluctant to choose vaccination for their children until there is full FDA approval,

· We know our fellow congregants and are sure that we all are committed to our shared values of equity, inclusion, safety and consent – as well as knowing that we are a group of folks who believe in and follow the findings of science. We trust each other.

We continue to require masks for all over the age of two when in the building and the staff and volunteers working with the children in the nursey will be required to be vaccinated and wear N95 masks.

We will reevaluate our plans and policies after we gather on the 6th of February and are planning to be back together in the Social Hall as soon as possible before the end of February.

Thanks to Emily for the work of developing, analyzing and sharing the Safety Survey. If you have any questions do contactl Gail Black as she is the one who wrote this article!

• point your browser to https://zoom.us/my/uucvpa , OR
• “listen in” (without video) by telephone, by calling 646-876-9923 and entering Meeting ID550 751 6685

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.

This year we're changing it up! In order to test drive our new church kitchen, soup chefs will gather on Saturday 2/26 to simmer, stir, season, and sample the following soups:

CHICKEN CORN

SPICY LENTIL (vegan)

GUMBO

MINESTRONE (vegetarian)

CHORIZO & WHITE BEAN

Soups are available for $10/qt. or $5/pt.

*NEW THIS YEAR! Our friends at TALKING BREADS are offering delicious freshly baked baguettes to go with your soup! Loaves will be available for $5 each.

Soup pick up on SUNDAY FEBRUARY 27 will be between 10 AM and 2 PM in the church kitchen. *Curbside delivery is available if you don't want to come inside.

Pay with cash or check made out to UUCV with SoUUper Bowl on the memo line at the time of pickup.

Please email or text your order to Lynn Michels between now and February 20 at lynnisue57@gmail.com or (717)580-6615.

SOUUPER BOWL ORDER:

NAME. ___________________________________________________________

PHONE # TO TEXT OR EMAIL ADDRESS ___________________________

SOUP # Quarts @$10 #Pints @ $5

CHICKEN CORN

SPICY LENTIL

GUMBO

MINESTRONE

CHORIZO & WHITE BEAN

BAGUETTE # Loaves @$5

TOTAL ORDER AMOUNT $___________________

* IF YOU PREFER CURBSIDE PICKUP CHECK HERE _____ & CALL OR TEXT WHEN YOU GET TO THE CHURCH (717)580-6615

If you are interested in helping with this important fundraiser for UUCV, please consider:

1. Helping to prepare soup in the UUCV kitchen on 2/26/22 @ 10 AM and/or

2. Making a donation for ingredients in the form of a check to UUCV with "soup ingredients" on the memo line or a gift card to Giant, Weis or Karns.

Thank you!