Sunday Service, July 23, 2017

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Linda Pallay
  1. Sunday, July 23

An Examination of Economic

Inequality in the United States

Lay Speaker: Allan Pallay

“Escalating Inequality” was selected by the 2014 UUA General Assembly as the 2014-2018 Congregational Study/Action Issue. A supporting document asserted that “Challenging extreme inequality is a moral imperative.” In this service I will characterize the level of economic inequality in the United States, review its causes and describe the advantages and disadvantages of solutions. I will present various sides to this issue. Time will be allotted at the end for comments from the Congregation. I expect a lively discussion.

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Sunday Service, July 30, 2017

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Linda Pallay

Sunday, July 30

The Interdependent Web…

The Spirituality of Swimming With Sea Lions Lay Speaker: Mary Ryan

This past spring, Mary took a trip to Baja California and came away with a deeper appreciation of the wonders of nature. The highlights were seeing the second-largest animal on the planet and getting dived-bombed by four sea lions. Seeing these, and other amazing animals in their protected environment was probably the definition of our seventh principle. Mary will share her memories and some pictures.

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Live Streaming of UUA General Assembly at UUFP

Posted on June 19, 2017 by Erica Duske

UUA GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2017 LIVESTREAM AT UUFP

General Assembly (GA) is the annual meeting of our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). Attendees worship, witness, learn, and make policy for the Association through democratic process. Join UUFP Members and Friends to witness GA via Livestreaming!.

Thurs June 22           7pm – 10:30pm UUFP Library

Thursday Morning Worship ~ Business Meeting ~ Service of the Living Tradition

Fri       June 23           7pm – 10:30pm UUFP Sanctuary

Friday Morning Worship ~ Business Meeting ~ Presidential Candidates Forum

Sat       June 24           8:30pm – 9:30pm UUFP Sanctuary

UUA Annual Ware Lecture Bryan Stevenson

Bryan Stevenson is the founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama. Mr. Stevenson is a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer who has dedicated his career to helping the poor, the incarcerated and the condemned. Under his leadership, EJI has won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent death row prisoners, confronting abuse of the incarcerated and the mentally ill and aiding children prosecuted as adults. Mr. Stevenson has successfully argued several cases in the United States Supreme Court and recently won an historic ruling in the U.S. Supreme Court banning mandatory life-without-parole sentences for all children 17 or younger are unconstitutional. EJI has also initiated major new anti-poverty and anti-discrimination efforts challenging the legacy of racial inequality in America. Mr. Stevenson’s work fighting poverty and challenging racial discrimination in the criminal justice system has won him numerous awards including the ABA Wisdom Award for Public Service, the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship Award Prize, the Olaf Palme International Prize, the ACLU National Medal Of Liberty, the National Public Interest Lawyer of the Year Award, the Gruber Prize for International Justice and the Ford Foundation Visionaries Award. In 2015, he was named to the Time 100 recognizing the world’s most influential people. Recently, he was named in Fortune’s 2016 World’s Greatest Leaders list. He is a graduate of the Harvard Law School and the Harvard School of Government, has been awarded 26 honorary doctorate degrees and is also a Professor of Law at the New York University School of Law. He is the recent author of the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Just Mercy, which was named by Time Magazine as one of the 10 best books of nonfiction for 2014 and has been awarded several honors including the Carnegie Medal by the American Library Association for the best nonfiction book of 2014 and a 2015 NAACP Image Award.

Sun      June 25           12pm – 5pm UUFP Sanctuary

Morning Worship ~ Final Business Meeting ~ Closing Ceremony

UUFP: Nurturing Spiritual Journeys ~ Embracing Diversity ~ Celebrating Community ~ Turning Values into Action.

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March on Harrisburg

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Linda Pallay

 

UUFP hosted a group of 25 activists on Monday evening, May 15th to aid in their March from Philadelphia to Harrisburg. The March was a “non-partisan state-wide volunteer effort to heal our wounded democracy.” Their goal was to present 3 bills to the Harrisburg legislature: • ban unlimited gifts • end gerrymandering • create automatic voter registration Desiree coordinated with the organizers of the March, which enabled the activists to have a hearty evening meal, a safe place to “crash” overnight and a good breakfast to send them on their way to Reading the next day.

For more information on the March please visit http://www.marchonharrisburg.org/ Thank you to everyone who contributed food for the marchers. As expressed by this joyous pie eater, it was thoroughly enjoyed and happily consumed!

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UUFP Social Action

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Linda Pallay

 

“The Sea is Rising and So are We”

On April 29th, 2017, 17 members and friends of UUFP turned their values into action as they joined hundreds of concerned citizens at the Pottstown Climate March. Co-organized by UUFP members and UU Action Chair Desiree Peterman, The Pottstown Climate March invited participants to march to: “protect our right to clean air, water, land and healthy communities, promote preservation of our natural landscape and wildlife, ensure public funds and investments are directed towards sustainable technologies that transition our world to a cleaner, renewable energy economy that works for all, encourage investment in and focus on environmental education, and exercise our basic rights to protest and free speech”. Several elected officials from both parties were invited to attend the march, but only Representative Ryan Costello (R) attended. Costello did not march, but was able to spend time meeting and discussing concerns with marchers as they arrived. The march, one of about 300 in the U.S and internationally, began at the Hill School
in Pottstown and continued down High Street ending at Riverfront Park for a climate rally. Marchers came prepared with creative, homemade signs and chants urging action to fight climate change and protect valuable resources. As the march progressed down High Street, several inspired locals joined the demonstration and many others expressed their support via cheers, honks, thumbs up, and high fives. In between chants, UUFP members and friends instilled hope among the crowd with moving songs such as “We Shall Overcome” and “Peace, Salaam, Shalom”. After the march, participants gathered at Riverfront Park for a rally with environmental speakers, clean energy providers, food vendors, music, and various children’s activities. UUFP hosted an informational table, and member Cyndi Buell-Hall offered free children’s face painting. Moving forward, UUFP members and friends will continue the fight to protect the Earth, working to ensure a healthy world for future generations.

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UUFP Gardens

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Linda Pallay

The vegetable garden looks beautiful. For our spring planting we’re growing snap peas, carrots, arugula, spinach, kale, collars and radishes. Many of the spring planted vegetables are ready to harvest and they look very nutritious and delicious. Our volunteers do a great job. We were admiring the dark dirt as we were planting the summer vegetables on Tuesday May 23rd . We have many kinds of tomatoes. Yellow and red cherry tomatoes, Beefsteak and purple tomatoes along with basil and African tall marigolds growing from seed. We’ve also planted sweet summer red peppers and jalapeno peppers. We’re going to do our best in fighting off the squash bugs in the hopes that we have a plentiful harvest of cucumbers this year. Last year’s cucumber crop was decimated by these voracious bugs. Last but not least there will be some arugula available. Any donation received for the arugula will be used to fund the garden.

Ginny

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From the Minister’s Desk, June 2017

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Linda Pallay
  1. I began my summer break on June 18th for two months and will return on August 27th. For me it is a time of rest and renewal, but the work of the church goes on. I will not be present to lead you for this period. That means that you will more intentionally have to minister to each other as you already do. We will continue to learn and grow in how to best treat each other and more fully share the responsibility of leadership. What the congregation is doing is not letting go so much as more fully sharing some of the burden and responsibility of leadership. When I return in August to begin my third year as your minister, we will quicken the pace of growing our congregation and securing our financial future. We will do this through greater stewardship participation and redoubling our efforts to be a more welcoming, embracing community. We can do this by keeping our mission and vision alive in our hearts. Together we can be more welcoming through a radical hospitality to each other and all who visit. It is only through welcoming and retaining new members will we be able to offer more ministry time and services. With Ethan as our new Religious Education Director I see a bright hope to attract more families with children and more enriching adult programing. This is an exciting time to be an active participant in the life of UUFP. We have the ability, if you are willing, to grow our community and move out of a survivor’s mode of thinking into an active, thriving community. Until I return I wish you a healthy, happy summer.

Yours in Faith,

    Rev. Paul

       678-939-4854                minister@uupottstown.org

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Sunday Service, June 4, 2017

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Linda Pallay

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Together We Can Our Sixth Principle

Rev Paul Daniel Worship           Associate: Sharon Harvey

Peace, liberty and justice begins at home in our hearts and locally at UUFP. Together we can begin to change the world by changing ourselves and feeding our souls.

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Sunday Service, June 11, 2017

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Linda Pallay

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Alcoholism: Thief and Killer                   Lay Leader: Cyndi Buell-Hall

Alcoholism, indeed all addictions, are much in the news today. Too many people still see addiction as a lifestyle choice instead of a biological disease. We will examine the disease model of alcoholism and attempt to put prejudice to rest.

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Sunday Service, June 18, 2017

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Linda Pallay

Sunday, June 18, 2017

The Embrace of Community

Rev Paul Daniel     Worship Associate: Cyndi Buell-Hall

I will share my thoughts that all of us must become ministers of the holy. We are each called to love our neighbors as ourselves as the first step of healing our broken world.

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