“Beginnings” is our September theme
“The beauty of our path is that
we actually don’t know where we are going.”
– Thomas Hübl
You should watch this video!
Ingathering Greetings for a New Congregational Year from your UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt
Next Service
September 13 at 11:00 am
“We Didn’t Start the Fire”
Led by: Rev. Dan Miyake
Where did Unitarian Universalism come from? Our tradition grew out of generations of people who questioned inherited beliefs, challenged conventional wisdom, and dared to imagine something different. This Sunday we’ll take a lively look at some of the people and ideas that shaped the tradition we inherited—and consider what it means that we didn’t start the fire, but we’re tending it now. What will we add, change, and pass on?
In person at UUCEL or live on Facebook.
Announcements
Save the Date! Mark your calendars for Friday, October 30th from 5pm to 7:30pm. Come to the church for a Fun Fall Soup Dinner & Fundraiser! More details will be coming soon…
The League of Women Voters Jackson Area invites us to write postcards to help turn out the vote for the November election. A special “postcard writing party” is being planned and will be held following a Sunday church service. Details coming soon!
Lunch With the Minister: September’s Lunch with the Minister gathering will be on Friday, September 18 at noon at Bone Island Grill in Vandercook. Come and join Rev. Dan and others for casual conversation, great food, and even greater company!
UU Women’s Federation September Community Gathering: UUWF is hosting an online community gathering on Thursday, September 10 from 7:30-9:00pm ET. What would an irresistible feminist future look like to you? UUWF is sharing resources, tools, and programming focused on Building an Irresistible Feminist Future. Join UUWF staff for updates on our upcoming events and to dig deeper into this campaign. We are exploring new ways to use power through a feminist/womanist lens, embrace our political identities, and make activism sustaining and sustainable. The future is ours to create–so let’s get to work! Community Gatherings are open to all women+ individuals regardless of UUWF membership. Click here to register for this event: https://secure.everyaction.com/le6yzNq1fU2uWVrW6SLGdw2
Click here to learn about UUWF’s other upcoming events: https://uuwf.org/events/
Soul Matters Small Group: Rev. Dan will once again be leading a Soul Matters Small Group this year. This group meets once a month, and engages with a monthly themed packet of readings and exercises geared toward deeper spiritual thinking, personal growth and awareness, and building relationships. Though the previous groups have been fairly small, everyone who has participated stated that they enjoyed the group and got a lot out of working with the content of the packets. A new group will be forming in September. If you would like to participate, please contact Rev. Dan. You can also talk to some previous group members, such as Peter and Megan Blackshear, Ann Green, and Tom Triplett about their experiences with the group.
Love at the Center Book Group: Starting in September, Rev. Dan and Ann Green will be leading a congregational reading of the book “Love at the Center”, edited by UUA president Sofia Betancourt. This book is a collection of insightful, short essays by various UU ministers about the centrality of love in our UU values, faith, and identity. The way it works is that everyone will be encouraged to purchase the book, read selected essays, then come together, probably via Zoom, to discuss the readings. The UUA has long suggested congregational reads, and up until now, we have not really engaged with any of them. Both Rev. Dan and Ann agree that this book is especially appropriate in this current environment in which we live, and hope that you all will choose to participate. Please contact Rev. Dan or Ann if you are interested or have questions.
Reminders
Jackson County Immigrant Coalition: Many members of the congregation have expressed interest in joining the JCIC. Due to the nature of the coalition’s work with vulnerable people, the first step to getting involved is to fill out a secure vetting form. Please visit the JCIC linktree to access that form: https://linktr.ee/Jackson_County_For_Immigrants (the form is the second link from the top). Feel free to explore the other helpful links on the page.
A New UU Hymnal! Our two printed hymnals have old favorites, but the UUA has a new hymnal and it’s not printed; it’s online! Sing Out Love is a collection of music for services that includes some old favorites and many new selections, with more being added all the time. And you have access to it. Go to singoutlove.org/song-library, log in with the ID uuliberty@gmail.com and the password Eliberty1856. Make a suggestion for what you’d like to sing at church!
Worship Committee seeks speakers: Do you have an idea for a service, or a willingness to take us on your spiritual journey? Or do you know someone in the community who would? Please contact Darrin Palmer or another member of the Worship Committee. They are happy to help create a Sunday Service!
Social Mission Designee:
The Social Mission Designee for the 1st quarter is the Jackson County Immigrant Coalition (JCIC). JCIC are friends, families, and neighbors united in protecting & supporting our Jackson County immigrant community through allyship, education, and activism. Please give by using the donate button on our website or by contributing with a check with Jackson County Immigrant Coalition in the memo.
Minister’s Schedule:
- September 9 – Off
- September 10-11 – UUCEL
- September 12 – Off
- September 13 – UUCEL
- September 14-15 – Elkhart Virtual
- September 16 – Off
Rev. Dan is available for 1:1 emergency pastoral care regardless of his days off. If you are in need of immediate pastoral care, please contact him right away. Please refrain from texting Rev. Dan after normal work hours unless it is a critical issue that needs immediate attention; if not, email him the next workday. If you need an immediate response to an email on a day off, type “URGENT’ in the subject line.
Please submit items for this weekly email by Tuesday afternoon at WednesdayChimes@gmail.com. Please include the date(s) you would like the announcement published in the subject line of your email.
Sunday Announcements
Please submit items to be announced on Sunday to the Worship Committee at uuliberty@gmail.com
Joys and Sorrows
Please submit items for inclusion in our Sunday service to the Worship Committee at uuliberty@gmail.com