Pottstown Area Cluster of Religious Communities

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Linda Pallay

Announcement From the Membership Committee: For many years UUFP has supported the Pottstown Area Cluster of Religious Communities in their efforts to provide food security, housing stability, supportive services and education for the Pottstown area’s homeless and hungry. These efforts have been in the form of monetary collections, in-kind donations of household items, and, seasonally, fresh organic produce from our garden. However, during UUFP’s COVID closure the household item donations have flagged a bit since people have not been coming regularly with goods in hand to the Fellowship. Now that we’re returning to in-person Sunday Services, the Membership Committee is resuming regular collection of household goods to be delivered to the Cluster each month.

During March, UUFP Members and Friends donated the following items to the Pottstown Area Cluster of Religious Communities to support their efforts to provide basic needs assistance and improve peoples’ economic stability: Five bath towels, two queen-size sheet and pillow case sets, one twin sheet and pillowcase set, two hand towels, four face cloths. Thanks to all who donated! These items are dearly needed and greatly appreciated.

During May we’ll be collecting: Sponges and Paper Towels. If you would like to donate some of these items, you may leave them in the very large basket that sits in the Fellowship’s foyer just outside of the kitchen door. I will carry them to the Cluster on Tuesday, May 31st.

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Garden Club News — March 2022

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Linda Pallay

The garden club is trying a new method for getting ahead of spring planting. It is called “Winter Sowing”. So far we have planted parsley, romaine lettuce and arugula. The concept is to create a mini greenhouse out of a container such as a milk jug, or plastic bottle.

Here’s how it’s done: Poke holes in the bottom of a plastic container for drainage and holes in the top for air flow. Fill with potting soil, spread the seeds and cover them. Then tape the container closed and sit it outside in the weather. This method is most successful with seeds that require cold stratification–that is, seeds that need to be kept cold during the winter. For these hardy plants it eliminates the need for indoor grow lights and also there is no need to harden off plants when ready to plant in the ground. Wish us luck! Spring is on its way!

Children’s RE and the UUFP Garden Club are joining forces on Sunday, March 13

We are asking RE kids to bring 16-20 oz clear plastic bottles to use as mini greenhouses to start this year’s Marigold plants. Last year we had good success planting our marigold seeds in dixie cups and caring for them at home, then later planting the seedlings in the fellowship garden. This year the kids will take their mini greenhouses home and put them in the sun in their backyard. If the new plants thrive and grow, we will meet again in May to plant them in the ground. We are so thankful for the assistance of our junior gardeners. Planting Marigolds in our gardens helps to encourage beneficial insects and discourage insects that are harmful to our crops.

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Sunday Service, March 6, 2022

Posted on February 27, 2022 by Linda Pallay

Food for Thought
Speaker: Emily Quarles-Mowrer

We have all heard of “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” and the heart-warming nourishment that reminds us of the important things in life. Writer Johann Hari talks about “KFC for the Soul” and the way that certain aspects of modern life are enjoyable in the short term, but may not be any better for us than a diet made up of only fast food. Join us as we think about the way that junk values may be just as harmful as junk food.

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Sunday, March 13, 2022, (Daylight Savings Time Begins)

Posted on February 27, 2022 by Linda Pallay

Roots and Wings
Rev. Dave Hunter

Imagine this: Your employer transfers you to another city, far from here. The problem is, there’s no Unitarian Universalist congregation there. Would you (a) work to organize a new UU congregation in your new home? (b) quit your job so you could stay here? or (c) accept the new assignment and learn how to play golf?

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Sunday Service, March 20, 2022

Posted on February 27, 2022 by Linda Pallay

What Shall We Do With Our Daughters?
Rev. Kerry Mueller
For Women’s History Month, we will look at
the life of a 19th century Universalist woman,
Mary Livermore – activist, journalist and lecturer.

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Sunday Service, March 27, 2022

Posted on February 27, 2022 by Linda Pallay

Religious Naturalism and Other Similar Theologies
Reverend Alison A. Wohler,
Minister Emerita, The Unitarian
Universalist Society of Amherst, MA
Under the umbrella of Unitarian Universalism we gather with myriad diverse theologies/ beliefs/current understandings. I describe myself as a Religious Naturalist. In this service I will talk about what that means to me, and also about other similar theological identities with which you might identify. How does our 7th UU Principle, about the interdependent nature of all existence, inform a naturalistic perspective?

I was a scientist in my first career, and remain grateful that we live in a time when science can play a significant role in the formation of what we think about the Universe and our place in it.

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From the Minister’s Desk — February 2022

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Linda Pallay

When I was in seminary, I enjoyed finding a word from ancient Greek, from Homer or Plato, that worked its way into Christian theology. Reading a chapter on “the four marks of the church” there was a lovely word, kerygma, proclamation.  I had an image of the herald in Homer, blowing a horn to command attention and then making his official announcement. The chapter translated it as preaching – announcing the Good News. So, I found myself wondering what preaching means in different contexts. I was surprised in preaching class to learn that the default is to read the holy text and interpret it to the people. Growing up as a Unitarian, I hadn’t heard much of this sort of preaching, at least in a narrow, Biblical sense. But reading it more broadly, and understanding that the holy text might be found in a newspaper, or a novel, or a science book, or a Mary Oliver poem, or in everyday experience, I realized that, yes, much of UU preaching fits this idea. And reading it even more broadly, I saw that our kerygma would include sharing our stories with one another, our hopes and frailties, our successes and our learnings. Or, our kerygma would include protest signs like Black Lives Matter, and impassioned phone calls to senators urging them to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, or making a persuasive announcement about Fair Districts. (Thank you, Patricia Rooney!)

Here’s another description of preaching, from a nineteenth century theologian; one I heard in seminary and more recently on Facebook, from a UU colleague:

“People have an idea that the preacher is an actor on a stage and they are the critics, blaming or praising him. What they don’t know is that they are the actors on the stage; he (the preacher) is merely the prompter standing in the wings, reminding them of their lost lines.” ~ Soren Kierkegard

I like this, but it fails to add that the preacher (me, in this case) always preaches the lost lines that she seems most to need to remember. What do you think? What is preaching for, how do we do it, and what is your role?

Love, Kerry

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President’s Message — February 2022

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Linda Pallay

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” ~ Vivian Greene

It seems that the storm named “COVID-19” is not going to pass anytime soon. While the storm has abated at times, it just restrengthens and continues to stay around. The good news is that the UUFP has learned and is already demonstrating one of the “key dance steps” to surviving this storm: adaptability. We have learned how to adapt our Services to meet the storm where it is without sacrificing what the UUFP stands for: Continuing to support our fellowship as well as the surrounding community. During our in-person Christmas Eve service, we raised approximately $150 to donate to the Pottstown Cluster. We also were able to donate bags full of hats and mittens that were placed around our mitten tree. Special thanks to Judy McDonald who has spent her time during this “storm” knitting hats and donating them through the UUFP.

Our adaptability skill will continue to be tested as we look at a future without Reverends Kerry and Dave. By now, everyone should have received the communication from both announcing their retirement at the end of June. Their service to us over the past three years has been invaluable and their impact goes far beyond that of delivering compelling Sunday Services. They have offered insightful council to the Board of Directors as we navigated various challenges over the past three years and helped us to think differently as we managed all the issues brought about by the pandemic. Their willingness to try new thing, like offering Evening Vespers has been greatly appreciated. From a personally selfish perspective, I will miss their calm voice of reason when I would call them, frustrated and discouraged by various things. I always felt re-centered after speaking with them. They will be greatly missed. The board is working with the UUA in trying to find a new minister. We are exploring different options that might fit our needs as well as our budget. Stay tuned for further information.

Many of you might be wondering when we are going to resume in-person services. My prediction of when that might occur will be just as effective as the TV weather people are at predicting snow fall amounts from any given storm. The reality is that we just need to watch the storm, stick our head outside a few times and make the best educated guess that we can. As soon as the COVID storm abates some, and the board feels that it is safe to gather people together, we will resume in-person services. The good news is that it is not “if,” but “when.” Stay safe.

With gratitude, Linda K.

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Sunday Service, February 27, 2022

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Linda Pallay


Unitarian Universalism: What’s It All About, Really?
Speaker: Rev. Dave Hunter
Come on February 27 and find out whether Rev.
Dave really knows the answer to the question he poses.

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Sunday Service, February 13,2022

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Linda Pallay

To Love the Unlovable
Speaker: Rev. Kerry Mueller
A Valentine’s day sermon on some of the more
challenging sorts of love for us as religious liberals.

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