The CFTW for January - March, 2023, will be the MOUNT TABOR PRESERVATION PROJECT. The little Mount Tabor AME Zion Church on Cedar St, Mount Holly, was built in 1870 by former slave and Baptist minister, Elias Parker. It is a piece of African American history, the spiritual hub of the Afro-American community, and the only place where people of color could worship and be buried in the 1800s. The property had been abandoned in the 1970s, almost lost. and had fallen into great disrepair.

Many people have provided funds and worked hard to repair and clean the structure. Following National Park standards, the rehabilitation will include repairing walls and roof, adding electricity, ADA accessibility, parking area, work on the cemetery, which includes scanning the graveyard to locate the bodies buried there. When this project is completed, it hopefully will function as a place for civic organizations and boro government, as well as an educational and tourist site. For more info and photos visit mttaborpreservation@gmail.com.

IMPORTANT!!!

In just a few weeks, on Sunday, January 15, 2023 UUCV will have a special congregation meeting after the service to vote on adopting the 8th Principle. Please plan to attend either in person or on Zoom as we need a quorum to have an official vote, and everyone’s vote is important.

Over the past few months we have explored the 8th Principle with sermons, reflections, testimonials, discussions, newsletter articles, and a congregational survey. And, while there are some understandable objections to the wording, there is clear support for the content of the 8th Principle. We will be choosing as a congregation to side with love and commit to dismantling racism and all other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.

ARTICLE II STUDY COMMISSION UPDATE

The Article II Study Commission of the UUA has released a draft of their proposed changes to Article II of the UUA bylaws. This is the section of the bylaws that contains the Principles and Sources that we are all familiar with. The proposed draft is a significant and comprehensive rewrite that changes the format of the Principles and Sources. To view the proposed draft go to www.uua.org and type “article ii” in the search bar and then scroll down to “article ii study commission”. On the opening page in the second section titled “Article II Outreach Team”, there is a link to the full draft of Article II and a link to an online Google Doc feedback form.

It is unclear if the Google Doc feedback form is still open for comment as the plan for creating a second draft and round of feedback seems to have changed. The Article II webpage now reads “After we let this new round of feedback simmer over the holidays, we will put together our proposal in early 2023 to send to the board. The proposal will be considered in mini-assemblies before the vote at General Assembly 2023.” The referenced feedback was given to the Study Commission in November.

Once a final draft is presented to the UUA Board it will need to be approved at General Assembly in 2023 and 2024 before it becomes official. As this revision of Article II is by no means a done deal, the grassroots effort to adopt the 8th Principle will continue and UUCV will proceed as planned with a vote to adopt the 8th Principle on January 15, 2023.

Please become familiar with this draft of proposed revisions of the 7 Principles and 6 Sources. It directly impacts our statement of faith as a UU community. If you have questions or concerns please contact Rev Meg at minister@uucv.net or Wendy Gebb at wendywinter@comcast.net

ECYEH

Pennsylvania's Education for Children and
Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program

A Win-Win Reminder

In the words of Sonia Pitzi, the Region 3 coordinator for Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH), “I can’t express my gratitude enough! These gift cards have been such a huge blessing this year!”

UUCV has an ongoing program where those us that are able make donations toward purchasing Giant grocery cards from UUCV that are then given to ECYEH. The win-win is that Giant donates a portion of the value of each card to UUCV and ECYEH gets much needed support to distribute to their clients. Our support is particularly appreciated during the cold winter months.

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

• Donations need to be given to or 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.

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

THANK YOU!

• Guarantee that all bipartisan bills get a vote in committee
• Once a bill passes out of committee, the bill gets a vote on the floor
• If the bill passes out of committee, it must get a vote in both chambers

Your donations help girls like Telma attend the bursary programs in Namarroi and Molumbo.  $350 a year pays for one girl’s room and board, school uniforms and supplies, and sanitary and hygiene materials.  Donations of all amounts are gratefully received by the UUCV Bursary Committee and the girls in Mozambique.

This year the Bursary Committee is dedicating its fund-raising efforts in honor of Priscilla Laws, the Project’s founder. (You still get the tax-deductible donation.)  Feel free to write a note to Priscilla when you send in your gift.  We will send these notes to Priscilla in January. 

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 Dusman, Deb Genet, Brian McPherson, or Susan Rimby.

Susan Rimby for the UUCV Mozambique Bursary Committee

As our Fall series of classes wraps up (final class is scheduled for Sunday 12/18), it's time to plan for our 2023 Spring semester.  For that, a one hour planning session will take place on Sunday January 8th at 9 AM in the board room (or attend via Zoom if you can't make the meeting in person).  Anyone is welcome to attend this planning session—new comers as well as seasoned participants.  The goal of the January 8th meeting will be to select the topics that will be discussed during the 2023 Spring semester which will run from February to May.

Wow, that sounds like something I'd be interested in, but I've never attended an Adult RE Discussion Group class before.  What should I expect?  Well, the Adult RE Discussion Group is an arena where we explore life's big questions.  We typically hold classes two Sundays per month.  Each class is usually an hour or so in length. During a class, a participant will share information on a topic they have volunteered to present and will allot time either during and/or at the end of their presentation for discussion.  Examples of previous discussion topics include: Consciousness, Sounds and Emotions, Antiracism, Voting in PA, What Does Spirituality Look Like in Your Life, Mormonism, and the Pow-Wow Folk Magic and Healing of the Pennsylvania Dutch.

Keep the following in mind.  First, you can participate in the Adult RE Discussion Group without ever having to host a class--feel free to attend and just listen and speak up as much or as little as you feel comfortable.  Second, if you would be interested in leading a class discussion, but are maybe a bit hesitant, don’t feel as if you need to be an expert on a topic in order to host a class.  The classes are quaint and informal and the preparation you do to host coupled with the discussion and feedback during a class can be a stepping stone on your journey to a deeper understanding of a topic that is of interest to you.  Finally, can’t think of a topic you’d like to speak about?  Then maybe consider presenting your story—share what has shaped and sustained you along life’s winding road--our life stories as sacred texts.

Questions?  Contact Keith Bittinger at kbittinger@comcast.net.

UUCV is partnering with RaiseRight for Gift card fundraising, the #1 fundraiser for nonprofit organizations across the U.S. for more than 25 years.  Earn simply by buying gift cards to use for everyday purchases, instead of cash or credit cards.

With RaiseRight, nonprofits and other community-based organizations earn money simply by shopping for their favorite brands—turning daily or weekly purchases into the opportunities that matter for their favorite organizations. 

How to Get Started:

Visit http://uucv.info/raiseright to Sign Up from your computer

Set up your banking or credit card preference.

You can then shop anytime by visiting https://www.raiseright.com/brands and see the daily bonuses and specials which will earn more money for UUCV.  Check the % for each card to see what your donation will be to UUCV….with a very minimal fee to you. 

How to Pay:

When you are done selecting your cards, check out at your shopping cart.  You can pay by your own Credit Card (getting points on your card) or LINK to your bank account

How you Receive your Cards:

• You can choose ecards (which will show up in your wallet on your APP or in your wallet on the main website http://www.raiseright/shop
• You can choose to receive the actual card be sent to your home address
• DO NOT select your card to be sent to the Coordinator….any cards sent to the coordinator will be cancelled and your sale will be VOID

Contact Pam pam@uucv.net if you need help in getting set up or if you have questions about this program.