Sunday Service, October 6, 2019

The Country of Memory and Hope, Part 1
Speaker: Reverend Kerry Mueller

Forgiveness is a vast and layered topic, too complex to dismiss briefly. Here between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur we will open the door to a question that arises persistently in all our lives.

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UUPLAN: Advocacy Day 2019

Where: Unitarian Church of Harrisburg, 1280 Clover Lane, Harrisburg, PA 17113
When: Saturday, October 12, Registration begins at 8:00am.
Program: 9:00am – 3:30pm. Lunch is provided.
Suggested Fee: $20
Morning Session: “Reading the PA Political Tea Leaves”: Where do we go from here? Micah Sims of Common Cause PA, Rabbi Michael Pollack of March on Harrisburg and Carol Kuniholm of Fair Districts PA will present their views of the current situations in Harrisburg; a robust conversation about moving legislation to reclaim our democracy.
Afternoon Session: “Opportunities for UUPLAN to Be Even More Effective”: Our new Director of Legislative Affairs will describe “UUs Go to Harrisburg,” followed by a brainstorming session among UUPLAN justice teams. The way some other UU State Advocacy Networks do their work will be presented. Justice Team Leaders and attendees will have a chance to share their thoughts and ideas. Session ends with ice cream. To register, visit www.uuplan.org.

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Sunday Service, October 13, 2019

It Matters to the Starfish
Lay Speaker: Emily Quarles-Mowrer

The Talmud teaches, “He who saves a single life, saves the world entire.” Another saying goes, “When you save someone’s life, you are responsible for them forever.” This is especially true when the life you save belongs to an animal because animals have no voice. They cannot tell us what they want or how they feel. How do we make medical decisions for the animals in our lives? How do we know when to help and when to let go?

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Sunday Service, October 20, 2019

What’s Next?
Speaker: Reverend Dave Hunter

What, if anything, comes next, after our time among the living is up? What are our hopes, our fears, our reasonable expectations? Would radically longer life spans be better? This sermon looks death in the eye and . . .

Please join us for our Third Sunday Potluck which will follow the service.

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Sunday Service, October 27, 2019

Inspirations from Our Own Ancestors
Lay Speaker: Judy McDonald

In today’s recognition of All Saints Day/ Samhain, Judy, together with other contributors, will share some of their gratitude for the inspiration and guidance from relatives and friends who have gone before.

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Minister’s Column, September 2019

Finding time to read books, for me, is a challenge. I’m mostly retired – why can’t I find the time? Kerry and I, over the past several years, have gradually cut back on periodicals, but I still can’t keep up with them. I managed recently to finish a rather short book: This America : The Case for the Nation, by Jill Lepore. She’s a history professor at Harvard and writes for the New Yorker. She explains, historically, the concept of the nation; reviews the history of our nation, including the ugly parts; and argues against nationalism and in favor of liberalism and American civic ideals. Lepore is also the author of a review of six different books in the August 9 issue of the Times Literary Supplement (“Taking History Personally: Modernity and the Continuing Rise of Conspiracy Theories”).
The book I picked up after finishing Lepore’s is A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism, by Adam Gopnik, another New Yorker writer. I’m up to page 11 (see “The Subjection of Women” by Harriet Taylor and John Stuart Mill). I took it with me yesterday morning to read while waiting my turn for blood tests and again in the afternoon when I accompanied Kerry for her driver’s license renewal. In both instances I hadn’t caught up with what’s on my phone when my time was up. I hope eventually to get to his chapters “Why the Right Hates Liberalism” and “Why the Left Hates Liberalism.”
Next in line, if I ever finish the Gopnik, is Michael Eric Dyson’s What Truth Sounds Like: Robert F. Kennedy, James Baldwin, and Our Unfinished Conversation About Race in America. Having read Dyson’s Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America, I didn’t want to miss his latest. And if you’re wondering how all this relates to Unitarian Universalism, see the late Rev. Forrest Church’s The American Creed: A Spiritual and Patriotic Primer.

Rev. Dave Hunter

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President’s Message, September 2019

– Helen Hunt Jackson 

“By all the lovely tokens, September days are here, With summer’s best of weather and autumn’s best of cheer.” 

While we are transitioning from the lazy days of summer to the more energetic (and sometimes frenetic) days of autumn, we continue to be busy here at the fellowship. 

In our on-going effort to ensure the safety of the members and friends of the fellowship, Miranda Van Horn and I had the opportunity to meet with a PA State Trooper who works in the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Domestic Security Section. He came out to our fellowship to review our layout and processes with the goal of making suggestions to increase our safety. While we haven’t seen the final report with his recommendations, we did have a great discussion regarding some of the things we might want to consider implementing. The good news is that there are some things we can implement at a fairly low cost. I will be presenting the report to the Board during our meeting on September 22 and will then share out to the greater membership after that. 

I’m also excited to report that I will be participating in a year-long learning and connection program for smaller congregations entitled “Small numbers, Infinite Possibilities”. The goal of the program is to help small congregations such as ours to reach toward their greatest potential. Some of the webinar topics are “Smalls make a big difference” and “Stewardship and Sustainability for the long haul”. I am optimistic that there will be some great take-aways that we can apply here that will continue to strengthen our community and set us up for a brighter future. The registration fee includes any members of the fellowship who would like to participate. If you would like to join in, let me know. 

And since September seems to be the kick-off of “Harvest Season”, I would be remiss by not mentioning all the great work that the Garden Committee has been doing under the leadership of Ginny Knight. The ongoing harvest has included spinach, kale, lettuce, beets, peas and garlic. If you entered the fellowship from the back, you saw how big and healthy the garlic heads were. They have done a great job this year with the garden which ultimately benefits those in need through the Pottstown Cluster. Thank you to all who helped with the garden. 

And if you don’t have a green thumb and want to help out the fellowship, remember, we are always looking for “a few good people” to serve on other committees. Just let myself or a committee chair know how you would like to help. 

In Gratitude, 

Linda

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Pottstown Cluster, September 2019

Their Current Most Needed Items: (As of August 20th) 

One-gallon Food Storage Bags 

Half-gallon Food Storage Bags 

Sandwich Bags 

Plastic Bags 

One-inch brown Masking Tape 

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Knitting Knights

Anyone interested in joining the UUFP Knitting Circle is very welcome to join us! If you would like to learn about loom knitting or participate in needlework projects to donate to neonatal units or cancer patients feel free to drop by the fellowship between 7 and 8:30 every Wednesday evening. You will be able to contribute to those in need and also enjoy the company of others while creating gifts of love. 

-Lita 

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Upcoming Dates September -October

Sep. 11th Committee Council 7:30pm 

Sep. 15th Third Sunday Pot Luck after service 

Sep. 22nd Board Meeting 12 noon 

Oct 12th UUPLAN Advocacy Day

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