Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Pottstown

“We should just be thankful for being together. I think that’s what they mean by Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown.” ~ Marcie, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

There is a lot going on and much to be thankful for within the UUFP Community. First, I want to let everyone know that Rick Duske has decided to step down from his position serving on the UUFP Board of Directors. He has served on the Board in various positions for almost ten years. His pragmatic leadership style, rational thought process and great sense of humor will be missed. The UUFP is grateful for all that Rick did. In the interim, his seat on the board will remain vacant and Mary Ryan will take on the responsibility of leading the Committee Council Meetings. Thank you, Rick; and, thank you, Mary.

Another person who has chosen to step down from a long time UUFP commitment is Erica Duske from her bi-monthly role on creating and distributing the Sojourner, our newsletter. Her creativity with graphics always made the newsletter not only informative but aesthetically pleasing. All of Erica’s hard work and efforts on the Sojourner are greatly appreciated. Thank you, Erica. If anyone would be interested in helping with the newsletter, please reach out to Kim Kulp.

There is also another area where people will be “stepping aside” from a role that they had been fulfilling. That area is Religious Education for the children. For approximately a year, the mothers of our children have volunteered to provide RE coverage which included building out lesson plans. With the advent of Meghan Mickle stepping up to cover RE full time, the moms are retiring from their teacher role. Until we find and hire another nursery attendant, they have graciously volunteered to mind the small kiddos. So, a big thank you goes out to Monica Buckley, Corina Jenkins, Kim Kulp, Sue Merkel and Valery Murdock for all they did in covering RE. These ladies, along with Ruby Barnthouse and her work with the tweens, have helped to ensure that we develop and deliver a vibrant RE program and help our children along their own UU journey. Thank you all!!

Recognition also needs to be extended to Miranda Van Horn and the Membership Committee for putting together the Halloween party that was held. A great time was had by “children of all ages.” Thanks also go out to all the hobgoblins who helped the Membership Committee to decorate.

The final bit of good news is that we are seeing an increase in visitors stopping by on Sundays. This is exciting, as new people bring new ideas and diversity of thought. All of us, whether we are first time visitors or long-time members, enter the UUFP hoping for a warm welcome. Each of us want to be able to bring our whole self and be our best self, accountable to the UUFP vision. As we build new relationships and strengthen the bonds of established ones, it is important to ground our actions, words, and behaviors in the UUFP Covenant. The Covenant is in essence a contract on how to act when one is in the UUFP community. You will find the Covenant posted in this newsletter. I would ask that you take the time to review it. The Covenant is a great reminder on how to bring your best self to the fellowship and therefore create a warm and loving community. Besides, I think that you will also find some useful strategies for the upcoming family holiday get-togethers.

Thank you all for what each of you bring and each of you have done for our UUFP community.

With gratitude, Linda

“Autumn teaches us the beauty of letting go. Growth requires release – it’s what the trees do.” ~Ka’ala

The UUFP is continuing to evolve and grow. With the addition of new friends and members come many new ideas on how to strengthen our community and ensure its existence. Moving forward often requires us to let go of “how we do things.” One of the exciting things that UUFP will be moving forward on is to hire a teacher to manage Religious Education for our children. While “the Moms” have done a great job with their volunteering as RE Teacher, many Sundays, we found ourselves scrambling at the last minute to provide coverage for RE. We need to provide a consistency to the children as they are on their own UU journey. The good news is that Megan Mickle, the woman who is currently providing care in the nursery has a Master’s in Education and is very willing to step in. Now we just need to find someone to provide nursery coverage. If you know of anyone who would like to spend time with the youngest members of the fellowship, please let a member of the board know.

However, sometimes growth requires financing. The RE situation is no different. While this expense was not planned for, we will hopefully be able to cover it without tapping into our savings account. Even if we have to use some of savings, remember, this is an important investment in our future. All members can help to minimize what we draw out of savings by doing two things:

1. If you shop at Giant, please consider buying Giant Gift cards through the UUFP. We get 5% of the value of each card sold. These cards can be used to purchase anything that you might buy at Giant: food, wine, beer, and gas. The holidays are coming up and many of us will be baking, hosting parties and family get togethers. Why not shop at Giant and help the UUFP? If interested, please contact me.
2. And speaking of parties, if you or someone you know is looking to host a holiday party or need a larger space for family get-togethers, why not rent the UUFP. The number of rentals is increasing. Spread the word!

Unfortunately, something else is spreading – COVID. The “good” news is that the medical community knows a lot more about this virus than they did before and there are now updated booster shots available. In addition, it’s the time of year we also need to worry about influenza and RSV. Our UUFP community is precious, and we all need to chip in and do our part to keep ourselves and others healthy. Please, if eligible, consider vaccinations and booster shots. However, the most important (and easiest) thing that any of us can do is that if you do not feel well, please stay home. Enjoy our services either via Zoom or watch it later on our YouTube channel. We all benefit when each of us takes accountability for our own health.

With Gratitude, Linda K.