Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Pottstown

Soto Zen priest Les Kaye, wrote, “the pull toward spiritual practice
always comes, on some level, from a sense that universal love is natural, that it can – should be — lived and expressed.” During January
we took a special collection to support the Pottstown Area Cluster of Religious Communities – usually referred to in these parts as “the Cluster.” Throughout the year, we collect food stuffs and clothing for in-kind donations to the Cluster (Check out the big basket in the foyer!) and grow and donate organic vegetables during the summer to the Cluster as well as to other charitable organizations.
We’re grateful for the opportunity to live and express our love for and connectedness with our neighbors – especially those who are in need. The Cluster provides food services and meal programs, support and referral services, housing services, and works with potential employers to help them understand the struggles that poverty imposes. Our new liaison to the Cluster is Cyndi Buell-Hall. We’re grateful for her willingness to take on this important job and look forward to learning from her how we can continue to support this vital organization. Thanks, Cyndi!
February will mark the beginning of our pledge drive for the 2019-2020 church year. The Board and Committee Chairs will consider their program and project plans for the year on which to base a budget draft. If you have a project idea in mind, please share it with a Board or Committee member.
Grateful for your service and fellowship,
Miranda

Have you made a resolution for the new year — promised yourself you’ll stick to a healthy diet, exercise more, learn a language? People have been making resolutions at the beginning of a new year at least since the times of the Romans. Let’s look at how this has everything to do with
UUFP.
While I, personally, am not big on making New Year resolutions, I am a member a group of people who consistently list collective intentions for the year and faithfully work to carry them out. That group would be the members and friends of UUFP! Our Board of Directors met in November to determine annual goals. We were joined at the meeting by Rev. Kerry Mueller and Rev. Dave Hunter who serve now as our Consulting Ministers and who advise our Fellowship to help create conditions under which we can progress toward the achievement of our common aspirations. Ours was a joyfully productive meeting. Here are the UUFP goals proposed for the next year:
         • Create an RE Committee to facilitate adult programming for spiritual growth and develop a summer vacation RE program.
        • Increase our visibility within the community by using the resources we possess to enhance the lives of people at UUFP and the community  at large.
        • To provide opportunities to enhance our understanding of how UUFP embodies Unitarian Universalism as individuals and as a community – to understand what motivates us, how we live up to our mission, live our faith, and continue to re-energize and refresh our efforts.

Stay tuned as the Board and Committees translate these goals into action.

While statistics indicate that most people fail to live up to their New Year resolutions, UUFP has a pretty good record when it comes to fulfilling goals. Before we worked on new goals at the retreat, we reviewed last year’s goals: 

1) to create a plan to carry us through the transition to new ministry during 2018.                                        (Thanks go to Lisa J., Mary R., and Emily Q-M and the Begin Again group);
2) to conduct a successful pledge drive that would fund into that new ministry; and
3) fund and install new flooring in the RE wing.
                                    All goals accomplished! We defied the norms!
                                Wishing everyone a joyfully productive New Year!!!
                                                         In faith,  Miranda