The CFTW charity for July through September is the International Service Center (ISC), located at S. River St, in Harrisburg.  ISC promotes educational, cultural, social, and economic programs to help disadvantaged and underprivileged people of different cultural and language backgrounds, to become self supporting and productive members of our pluralistic society. 

As of September 15, more than 23,000 Afghan refugees arrived in the U.S. Since that time, the ISC and a small group of volunteers have been working hard to address the needs of about 60 desperate Afghan clients who came to this area.  Local churches and other organizations, including UUCV, formed teams to help these families find homes, jobs, learn our language and customs, and guide them through medical, financial, and emotional situations, and help them solve many other problems.

In January of this year UUCV began a process toward the goal of voting on adopting the 8th Principle on September 18, 2022. There were plans for a variety of learning activities to allow members of the congregation to come to a deeper understanding of the 8th Principle. While some of those activities happened, it was necessary to put a pause on the full scope of them as UUCV successfully dealt with a series of unexpected challenges.

Now UUCV continues to be in a period of transition as we welcome Rev Meg and Jyoti as they join Pam and Devon to, once again, give us a full staff. They come with new ideas for programming, attracting new members, and enriching UUCV. Along with being exciting, this comes with a period of adjustment as we get to know each other and absorb the newness that change always brings.

It is also exciting that Rev Meg strongly supports the 8th Principle and over the past year helped steer her previous congregation toward a vote in June to adopt the 8th Principle. Those of us at UUCV who have been working toward having our congregation adopt the 8th Principle remain committed to that process. However, because of the interruptions we’ve experienced and the changes at UUCV in the past several months, it does not feel appropriate to hold a vote on September 18. Consideration of the 8th Principle deserves time and attention that we have not yet been able to give it.

The committee is actively working with Rev Meg and Gail Black to reconfigure UUCV’s journey toward adopting the 8th Principle. We would be delighted to welcome anyone interested in joining us in this important work. If this sparks your interest, please contact Wendy Gebb at wendywinter@comcast.net 

Everyone is invited to August 7 discussion; preferably read Chaps 4, 5, and 6 p 47-76

The Antiracism Initiative and the Social Justice Committee invite you to read  Justice on Earth - People of Faith Working at the Intersections of Race, Class, and the Environment. Its 12 essays written by UU ministers address the intersection of racism and the environment. Available from www.uua.org, Amazon, and other online book sellers. Everyone is invited to August 7 discussion; preferably read Chaps 4, 5, and 6 p 47-76

This is a reminder of another way to support UUCV and contribute to our mission of transforming lives and caring for the world. For several years UUCV has been collecting donations for grocery cards that are then given to ECYEH (Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness) in what we call our Win-WIn grocery card program.

Small things can make a big difference. Our Win-Win grocery card program provides much needed help to ECYEH clients and UUCV gets a $10 donation for each $100 Giant card purchased.

Here’s how the plan works if you are able to make a donation:

• Please mail donations to Pam Martin at UUCV, PO Box 207, Boiling Springs, PA 17007. Donations can also be dropped off to Pam during office hours or placed in the offering baskets on Sunday.

• Donations need to be checks made out to UUCV, and 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 provide a $10 return to UUCV.

• The grocery cards will then be given to ECYEH.

• Your donation will be recorded on your annual tax statement from UUCV.

From Sonia Pitzi, the coordinator for our region’s Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) program, “Thank you never seems big enough to express how grateful we are that you have chosen us to receive your hard earned dollars. Yet, know that I say THANK YOU with the biggest hug attached.”