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My dear friends,
As we prepare to move into the darkest part of the year, we enter our final month with
the theme, “Radical Rooting.” The gardens of our hearts, so recently abundant with the
warmth of late-autumn warmth, prepare for the cold days ahead. While leaves fall, we
remain rooted. |
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And what is unseen must be remembered: our roots are entwined. We hear more and
more frequently of the astonishing truths of nature: trees that appear singular and
individual above ground are, in fact, one cooperative being within the soil. And so it is
with us. Each one of us, in our pains and our individual grievings, can stand strong
against the coming cold only because, below the surface, we bolster one another
through our roots. We need each other.
Quaker theologian Parker Palmer reminds us of the contradictions that this season of
decay shows us with the changing of the leaves: “What artist would ever have painted a season of dying with such a vivid palette if nature had not done it first? Does death possess a beauty that we – who fear death, who find it ugly and obscene – cannot see? How shall we understand autumn’s testimony that death and elegance go hand in hand?”
I want to take this space to invite you to our Grief Support Group, meeting sporadically
on the occasional Weds night through the cold months. Keep an eye on the calendar.
No RSVP is needed. This is a quiet, supportive place to nurture our roots.
And as always, I invite you to contact me at minister@uucv.net just to chat about
anything at all. I look forward to connecting with you in person, online, or via phone!
With so much love,
Rev. Meg
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The Worship theme for November is Radical Rooting
November 6 – “Tending our Garden” All are invited to Mozambique Sunday! UUCV has been supporting the Mozambique Bursary in many ways for many years. Come celebrate with us and learn about the work that is happening to help African girls recieve an education. Then, join us afterward in the Social Hall for an African-inspired feast! Rev. Meg Mathieson leads the service with worship associates from the Mozambique Committee.
November 13 – “Roots Reaching Out” You and a friend are invited to Outreach Sunday! The roots of our garden are reaching out in love to all, both in person and online! Let's not keep our wonderful congregation a secret! Rev. Meg Mathieson preaches with worship associate Joseph Osborne.
November 20 - "Radical Gratitude" All are welcome to celebrate New Member Sunday as we officially greet our newest members with love and a few tokens of our affection. Rev. Meg Mathieson preaches with worship associate Molly Wilkinson.
November 27 – “Lean in Toward the Light” Carry nothing but what you must. Let it go, shake off the dust. Today is now, tomorrow beckons. Keep practicing ressurection. The shadows of this world will say, "there's no hope, why try anyway?" But every kindness, large or slight, shifts the balance towards the light. Rev. Chris Kapp leads the service with worship associate Chris Bilger.
Join us for in-person worship in our Sanctuary or on ZOOM. or “listen in” (without video) by telephone, by calling 646-876-9923 and entering Meeting ID 550 751 6685 |
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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 27th, we will select our books for January-October of 2022. 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 Sunday, November 20th. 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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Unitarian Universalists welcome babies, toddlers and children into the congregation through a Dedication ceremony.
On Sunday Dec 11, we will hold this ceremony during our Sunday service, allowing our congregation to dedicate itself to the well-being of all children being dedicated. This is an opportunity for children to dedicate themselves to a life of righteousness and compassion.
All are welcome, regardless of membership status in the church.
Please contact Rev. Meg at minister@uucv.org or Pam at office@uucv.net if you are interested or would like more information.
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Election Day
One of the most important rights of American citizens is the franchise—the right to vote.
Electoral and voting systems are a vital link between citizen participation and democratic representation, and provide the mechanism for free and fair elections and political change.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 8!
Every Vote Counts!
YOUR VOTE COUNTS!
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From the Auction Committee
I will use this forum to let all of you know what is happening with the fall 2022 auction.
The needed sign-ups are just not coming in. The auction is two weeks away and I only have twelve sign-ups. The volunteer board in the social hall is just as grim. The committee got together last evening and have decided to postpone the fall auction until spring. A date will be announced in the future.
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If you have a sign-up planned to submit, we ask that you hold that thought until we begin accepting them again.
For those of you who have already submitted a sign-up, please standby. We are working on something else, and they will be needed. A committee member will be reaching out to you personally after November first.
We are disappointed that we must do this, but after much discussion, it really was the best call. The church needs $10,000 from the auction to meet budget demands and it is just not going to happen with what we have and expected to get in sign-ups forthcoming.
On the bright side, we are working on something rather interesting leading up to the Spring 2023 Silver Soiree Auction. Stay tuned for further updates soon!
That’s all for now and thanks to everyone who has supported us.
Cathy Dewalt
Auction Chairperson
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November Social Justice Opportunities |
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Programs under the umbrella of the Social Justice Committee include the monthly CARES dinner, Change for the World (CFTW), the Mozambique Bursary project and the UUCV Antiracism Initiative. Another component this year has been assisting an Afghan family as they transition to America from war-torn Afghanistan. Other events we regularly participate in include Project Share’s Farm Stand, the annual Pride Festival in Harrisburg, National Public Lands Day, and United Way’s One Day of Caring. We anchor our efforts around UUCV’s mission to transform lives and care for the world. Thank you to all who serve on the committee and for outside support we receive from many others in the congregation.
All are welcome to our meetings. The next Social Justice Committee meeting is Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at 6:30 pm in person in the UUCV board room OR on Zoom. https://zoom.us/my/uucvpa |
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Change for the World
4th Quarter October - December |
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Moving Circles is a non-partisan local community group that networks/builds bridges for social change. Since 2016 it has met monthly (currently via ZOOM) for an on-going conversation, building trust over time, talking about racial and social justice issues and experiences. Concretely, it has hosted bystander intervention trainings and sent out alerts for vigils, marches, demonstrations, Borough Hall meetings, community unity events, festivals, … And it shares articles, videos, online links, books, films, and other resources. See Moving Circles Several separate action-oriented organizations have spun off including
Not In Our Town
and
the
Greater Carlisle Community Responders Network e.g. 4/6/21 “Carlisle Walks 4 Asians”. All work is volunteer. Moving Circles recently got 501(c)3 status so it can pay for e.g. ZOOM access, printing, postage, and website design and upkeep.
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The 8th Principle
“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
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In mid October, a survey about the 8th Principle was sent out to UUCV’s Family News email list which includes 198 addresses. As of this writing, 47 responses have been recorded. Thank you to all who have taken the time to complete the survey, and for the thoughtful and challenging comments offered in response to the final 2 questions. If you have not yet had the opportunity to complete the survey please know your response really matters. The survey is open until November 2, 2022. If you prefer to complete the survey in a paper format there are copies of it on the Social Justice table in the Social Hall along with a basket to place your completed survey. You can also pick up a survey from Pam during regular office hours. Thank you for your participation.
For more information about the 8th Principle please visit www.8thprincipleuu.org or www.uua.org and type “8th Principle” or
“article ii” into the search bar. You can also check the Anti-Racism Initiative page on www.uucv.org . From the UUCV homepage click open the “Justice” tab and then click “Anti-Racsim Initiative”. On this page you will find helpful resources for advancing your understanding of the issues the 8th Principle calls us to address.
Also, please remember that Rev Meg is facilitating discussions about the 8th Principle on Friday evenings 10/28, 11/11, and 12/9 in person in the Board Room or on the main UUCV Zoom channel.
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CARES MEAL
The November CARES meal will be provided by our members on Sunday,
November 20.
We will provide a Harvest Dinner for 30-35 persons.
Email Pam if you are able to donate any of the items still needed.
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Chicken or Turkey POT PIES, with vegetables - 3 needed
Salads- 2 Vegetable Salads
If you would like to donate TOWARD any of the meal items, you can send a check to the office with CARES in the memo line and we will purchase items with your donation.
Thank you to all of you who contribute the nutritious parts of a great Sunday dinner to serve the CARES clients in Carlisle. Feeding these persons a nice Sunday dinner is so very important!
You can drop your items off on Sunday, November 20 in the UUCV parking lot between 3:00 - 3:30 pm. or bring them into the church kitchen the week of the meal.
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Day of Caring!!
United Way of Carlisle & Cumberland County held its annual Day of Caring Friday morning. The event drew about 360 volunteers who worked across 40 different sites.
UUCV was well represented at this year's Day of Caring. Thanks to all our volunteers: Cindy Good, Paula Terry, Margie Akin, Amy-Jo Humpton, Phoebe Humpton, Rick Heckman, Cheryl Parsons, Wendy Gebb, Kim Stone, Martha Bergsten and Pam Martin. Also joining our UUCV group this year was Donna Griest and Mary Ann Zeigler.
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Margie Akin, 88, and Paula Terry, of the Unitarian Universalists of the Cumberland Valley work cleaning up the warehouse at New Life Community Church.
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Rick Heckman with the Unitarian Universalists of the Cumberland Valley hammers nails into a board during United Way of Carlisle & Cumberland County's Day of Caring Friday.
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Phoebe and Amy-Jo Humpton with the Unitarian Universalists of the Cumberland Valley help with clean up. |
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News from the UUCV Mozambieuq Bursary Committee
The Mozambique Committee will launch the 2022-2023 campaign on Sunday, November 6th at the UUCV 10:30 – 11:30 church service. Then, from 11:45 – 1:00 we’ll provide a Mozambiquan style luncheon and an information session. ALL Bursary supporters – within and outside UUCV – plus anyone interested in learning about the program — are invited to attend on November 6.
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This year the UUCV Mozambique Bursary Committee will honor Priscilla Laws, the founder of the Bursary Project. All contributions to the Project will be dedicated in Priscilla’s name. If you know Priscilla, but haven’t donated to the Bursary Project before, perhaps you will do so this year in Priscilla’s honor. (You’ll still receive the tax-deduction credit for income tax purposes.)
The Mozambique Bursary Committee is always looking for new members. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact one of the following: Martha Bergsten, Dianne Dusmann, Deb Genet, Brian McPherson, or Susan Rimby.
Susan Rimby for the UUCV Mozambique Bursary Committee
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Come Lift Your Voice with UUCV Community Voices
Join Devon and your fellow congregants in song on Thursday nights @ 7:00 in the sanctuary! No singing experience required. We are a community singing space. We sing with each other as an act of care and connection. Come and experience what it's like to be in spiritual community at UUCV through the act of music-making!
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The RE committee has been working hard to improve the Children's spaces both upstairs and down, including the addition of fluffy rugs and decor requested by the kids. The downstairs Nursery, Spirit Play, and Middles classrooms are not available for use after Service and we hope that the kids enjoy their revitalized corner of the Social Hall! |
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On weeks when we have a Nursery volunteer, parents can sign their children younger than 5 in before Service and retrieve them by 11:45.
November 6 will be a Multigenerational Service and children are invited to participate with their parents in the Sanctuary. There are Busy Bags available in the Annex for wiggly kids who require more stimulation.
November 13th and 20th, Children will be going downstairs to their classrooms after Moment for All Ages.
Children in Kindergarten to Grade 3 will be in the Spirit Play room to work with the Spirit Play curriculum. The Storyteller on November 13th will be Jen Hricik and on November 20th, it will be Mrs. Candice Holsinger.
Children in Grades 4 through 6 are considered Middles and will be working with the Tapestry of Faith curriculum in the Boardroom with PrimaJoy Ramalingam.
Kids in Grade 7 and up are welcome to join Rev. Chris Kapp in the Youuth room. Rev. Chris has worked with the kids to develop their own curriculum, with this month's theme being Relational Awareness.
November 27th will be an All Ages Activity revolving around Gratitude in the Dining Hall. There will be fun arts and crafts and sweet treats.
**Please sign your Nursery, Spirit Play, and Middles Children out of their classrooms by 11:45.** This gives parents the opportunity to socialize before pickup, while respecting the Volunteer Teachers' time as well.
Thank you to all our October volunteers! PrimaJoy Ramaligam, Rev. Chris Kapp, Gail Black, Amy-jo Humpton, Ryanne Mack, Courtney Wiley, Steve Holsinger, and Mrs. Candice Holsinger; Thank you so much for your time and energy! Members of the Congregation are encouraged to volunteer with the Children's RE Program! Please email Candice Holsinger at candice.holsinger@gmail.com to check in about submitting clearances. |
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Adult RE Discussion Group
Adult Fall RE will begin on Sunday, September 11. The group is open to all over 18 and meets in the Board Room (downstairs) at 9:00 am. You can also participate by ZOOM https://zoom.us/my/meetingsuucv
Contact Keith Bittinger with any questions kbittinger@comcast.net
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November 6: Voting in PA - Are you ready to vote on November 8? (Make sure you and your friends are already registered before the October 24th deadline.) Bring your questions about voting in PA for a respectful, non-partisan, non-political Q&A. For example, when is the Pennsylvania Primary, and can independent voters participate? We’ll start by visiting the Running for Office section of the Pennsylvania Department of State’s website, www.dos.pa.gov for an overview of how people become candidates. Then, we’ll take a brief tour of voter education resources on the Pennsylvania Department of State’s other website, www.vote.pa.gov. If you have questions before or after our discussion, please call the Pennsylvania Department of State at 1-877-VOTESPA (877-868-3772). Discussion leader: Jennifer Hricak
November 20: What Does Spirituality Look Like in Your Life? - Whether you use the word "spirituality" metaphorically or more literally, what does spirituality look like in your life? Discussion Leader: Keith Bittinger
December 4: Mormonism - In this class we will look at the origins, beliefs, and rituals of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormon Church. Discussion leader: Courtney Wiley
December 18: Powwow - What exactly is it and does it work? - Powwow, also called Brauche or Brauchereiin Deitsch, is a vernacular system of North American traditional medicine and folk magic originating in the culture of the Pennsylvania Dutch. Blending aspects of folk religion with healing charms, "powwowing" includes a wide range of healing rituals used primarily for treating ailments in humans and livestock, as well as securing physical and spiritual protection, and good luck in everyday affairs. Discussion leader: Cathy Dewalt. |
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Coming Up in November....
Mark your calendars...lots to do in November at UUCV |
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- Grief Support Group - Wednesday nights at 7:00pm on November 2 in the Sanctuary
- Holy Grounds - November 5 at Cafe 101 from 12 noon - 2:00. Rev. Meg will have a table reserved...come and talk with her!
- 8th Principle Discussions - 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month (November 11 and 28) at 7:00pm in the Board Room and on ZOOM
- Mozambique Luncheon - Sunday, November 13 following worship in the Dining Hall
- New Member Class - Sunday, November 13 in the board room following worship
- New Member Ceremony - Sunday, November 20 during worship
- Transgender Day of Remembrance - Sunday, November 20 at 6:00 in the Sanctuary
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Trans Day of Remembrance
The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) is observed annually on November 20th to memorialize trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse people who have died during the previous year as a result of violence based on bias against trans and non-binary people.
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Join us in the Sanctuary on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022 as we gather to mourn these losses and honor the lives of those who may or may not be remembered in death as they lived. (Time is TBD)
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Yard Sale SUCCESS!
A big THANK YOU to everyone that contributed their treasures and/or helped with set-up and tear down.
Our first FALL INDOOR Yard Sale was a success....so far we have made $2,236.40 for UUCV and we're not done. |
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We are still posting higher priced items that did not sell on Facebook Marketplace. If you have an item you would like to donate, contact Pam pam@uucv.net or Cindy cyagood4@gmail.com to see if it's an item we could post and sell.
Thanks UUCV for your generous donations! |
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Mark your Calendars - December 21 |
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We will be hosting a blood drive at UUCV for the Amercian Red Cross Blood Drive on Wednesday, December 21 from 10a - 6p.
How can you help??
- Volunteer to help set-up tables and chairs to the layout the Red Cross specifies
- Volunteer to help coordinate between UUCV and the Red Cross during the drive
- Volunteer to close up the church at the end of the drive
- Sign up or stop in to donate blood
If you are able to volunteer, please contact Pam pam@uucv.net |
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Memorial Blanket
National Homeless Person’s Memorial Day is held every year on December 21, the longest night of the year, to remember those who have tragically died while experiencing homelessness, often decades before their time.
Last year, The Homeless Memorial Blanket Project [founded by the Charles Bruce Foundation, whose board includes UUCV members Chris Kapp and John Tarrant] surrounded the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Carlisle with over 250 handmade blankets, made by craters across 10 different states.
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As the sun set and night began to draw in, local agencies dedicated to mitigating homelessness began a marathon, all night media broadcast to help spread the word of the important work being done and the help needed from the local community.
This winter, the project is going national, taking blankets from across the US to Washington DC, to blanket approximately 9000 square feet of the West Lawn of the US Capitol Building, in a stunning and sobering art installation that will draw attention to the growing homelessness crisis affecting the nation. Over 500 blankets minimum are needed to make this project a success. After the all-night installation and broadcast, blankets will be distributed to folks experiencing homelessness in both DC and across the nation.
How can we help?
UUCV has received a large donation of fabric, some of which is already cut into convenient squares, to use for this project. What we need are people to help sew this material into simple blankets. These blankets will not only be used as part of the memorial installation, but will also be gifted to a person in need of both physical warmth and a reminder of their inherent worth and dignity.
This is a perfect outreach opportunity! Know some friends who sew – even if they’re not part of UUCV? Bring them to the downstairs dining room to make a blanket or three! We have the space. We have the tables. You have the talent and the friends. Girl scouts need a project? Sew Blankets! Retired friends looking for something to do? Make a blanket! Homeschool group need a creative math and art class? We have a curriculum for that! [seriously, we have a set of homeschool lesson plans that have been used all over the country] If you have a sewing machine or can sew by hand, you can be part of this project. There will also be a sewing machine available in the downstairs dining room for those who want to help but have no machine of their own
And if you’d like to take some material home to sew, great! Just see Chris Kapp and they’ll get you set up with a stack of fabric. You can also join Chris on Sunday afternoons in November to work on blankets after coffee hour. Bring a lunch and keep each other company while making a blanket that could help change a life.
More information about the Homeless Memorial Blanket Project can be found at www.memorialblanket.org
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Hello, UUCV friends!
I am the Community Relations Sr. Specialist for Church World Service Harrisburg, and my focus is to identify and support Ukrainian refugees in our area. The Harrisburg office just opened in March. I’m a Mechanicsburg resident and UUCV attendee.
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We are rolling out what we hope will be an annual fundraiser, which will support CWS programs and our refugees as well. This “Friendsgiving” is a meal box “to-go” of several dishes created by our refugee communities highlighting their cultures. The meals are microwaveable and are $20 each. Meal components and ingredients will be detailed on the Eventbrite page. For this event, we cannot cater to dietary restrictions, but we expect to honor these in future events. Meals can be purchased NOW at International Friendsgiving: A Culturally Diverse Feast To-Go Tickets, Sat, Nov 26, 2022 at 4:00 PM | Eventbrite. I’m asking that purchasers please note that you heard about it from “Erika- UUCV” in that field. Meals will be ready November 26 in the late afternoon.
I expect that these meals will be popular and will go quickly!
I’m personally offering delivery of the boxes to UUCV later that afternoon to encourage participation. (Pickup otherwise is at the Hadee Mosque)
If you cannot attend, we welcome donations on that same page, or by check which can be mailed to the below address to my attention with UUCV in the memo line.
Please contact me at ejuran@cwsglobal.org with any questions!
Many thanks,
Erika
Erika Juran (she/her)
Community Relations Sr. Specialist
Church World Service Harrisburg
2101 N. Front Street, Bldg. 3, #301
Harrisburg, PA 17110
cwsharrisburg.org
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UUCV Fundraising Opportunities
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November Grocery Needs
Thanksgiving is right around the corner....and that means lots of turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes! And don't forget those pumpkin pies!
Pick up your $100.00 grocery cards at UUCV. NO EXTRA COST to you and Giant will donate 10% back to UUCV and Weis and Karns will donate 5% back to UUCV for every card purchased.
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Buy cards on Sundays, before and after worship, stop in at the church office during the week Monday - Friday 8:30 - 1:30 and 3:00 on Wednesdays, or mail a check and we'll mail your cards back to you. UUCV, PO Box 207, Boiling Springs, PA 17007. Mark the type of card you want in the memo line of your check.
And...you can use the cards to purchase your groceries online!
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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 The Unitarian Universalist of the 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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