Opportunities for Connection
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Message from Rev. DL
June 15, 2020
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Message from Rev. DL
June 3, 2020
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BENDING THE ARC TOWARD JUSTICE
And, as one of our own said last night, this is at least the second time – this year – history is being made. This is, perhaps, the beginning of a revolution.
Now, let’s be clear. I’m not speaking of civil war, much as 45 keeps trying to push us there. I’m speaking of a society, distraught with the inequities, at the breaking point. And demanding that things change.
The days, now, of mostly peaceful demonstrations, but yes, the riots too, they are signs of a country, I believe, ready for so much more. After the death of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in 1968, there were riots in over 100 cities, some for weeks. In 1992, with police brutality again caught on camera, there were days of riots on behalf of Rodney King in California. Throughout our history, and not in issues of racism alone, riots have been a tool of the oppressed, when the pain is unbearable, to begin to create their own means of survival.
Because change can come, has already come, out of mass protests. The Rodney King protests forced a long-abusive Los Angeles Police Department to change its ways, and to be more accountable. The City of Minneapolis school system just cut ties with the Minneapolis police, recognizing that the latter is not working in the citizens’ interests. This matters! It breaks the pre-school to prison pipeline that so many black men, especially, are subjected to. It moves this nation a tiny bit more in the direction of justice.
All those at home asking, what can I do? Join us. We are going to commit ourselves to the work of ending racism as a congregation, as a community, and as a nation. We’re going to tear down the structures that oppress, and build something beautiful, and just, in their place.
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Message from Rev. DL
May 30, 2020
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COMMITTING OURSELVES TO RACIAL JUSTICE
Dear UUCSCers,
I am fiercely angry. I am, in a friend’s words, almost incandescent with rage.
And I invite you to join me there, if you’re not already.
Yes, I’m talking about the deaths of black and brown people, of the racism that deems some lives as valuable and views others as eminently disposable.
We can’t ignore the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, needless deaths in just the past week alone. If brown and black people aren’t safe to jog, to birdwatch, to live, in America, it’s clear that a just society is no more than a far off ideal.
In response to these and other brutal deaths, we rail and proclaim that #blacklivesmatter. That’s true. And it’s far from enough.
Our call, our work, is to help end racism. As you’ve heard me say time and time again.
Does it start and end with this us? No. But white people with privilege are the ones that built the institutions, that hold the power, that have the vast majority of the wealth. Black and brown people can’t survive in society as it exists right now, because the structures were designed for them to lose.
For the past few months, I’ve been anxiously watching the police presence rise during the coronavirus, ever more unchecked. “Police have to ensure people are complying with the requirements,” we’re told. Except that’s not what’s happening. Once again, brown and black people are the ones beaten and killed, once again they’re the ones being charged for “violations” of rules while we, white people, can comply or ignore those same rules without repercussion.
I find it ironic, thinking about those hopeful signs that I’ve seen around Rhode Island, the ones that say, “we’re in this together,” If we truly are, let that guide our actions, and commit ourselves, truly, to ending the unapologetic racism of this country.
How, you ask? I invite you to join via Zoom this coming Tuesday, June 2, at 6pm, listen, learn, and commit to the dismantling of white supremacy.
With anger and still with hope,
Rev. DL
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Message from Rev. DL
May 27, 2020
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I’m pleased to announce that we have a Director of Religious Education, Lee Cowan, who will begin in the Fall of 2020! Many of you already know Lee, as she has been working as a nursery attendant here at UUCSC for the past couple of years.
Lee has been playing with kids since she was old enough to babysit for her teacher’s kids in 7th grade. She’s worked at summer camps, after school programs, outdoor classrooms, intentional communities, Miss Anne’s Waldorf based preschool and most recently in the nursery of the UUCSC. She grew up in Boulder, Colorado and lived for ten years in the Pacific Northwest, exploring herbal medicine, natural building, community building and celebrating joyful play. She is so excited to continue to be part of the play-based, child-led exploration that happens in RE and to deepen relationships with all the lovely families and children that are part of it.
Please join me in welcoming Lee in her new role! Also, many thanks to the DRE search committee (Nancy Dean, Kai Migliaccio, April Ruedaflores and Etta Zasloff) in helping choose the best candidate.
We will have a virtual goodbye and thank you party for our current DRE, Bethany Vaccaro, in June. The date of that event will be announced shortly.
With love,
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Message from Rev. DL
May 20, 2020
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Here are the links for ongoing opportunities to connect and support each other.
Mark your calendars! Just click the link to join at the time!
Realtime Video Meet-up
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Happy sunny Wednesday, beloveds,
It’s beginning to feel like summer. Buds have given way to bright green leaves, plants are experiencing a growth spurt, and everywhere I look, I see signs of new life. Baby swans, ducks, birds, turtles, and more. This year, that cycle of life is particularly gratifying to witness. It reminds me, grounds me, in the solidity of the natural world.
Which is good, in a time that much seems less sure.
Last week, UUA President Susan Frederick-Gray sent out a loving letter, explaining why the UUA is recommending that congregations stay virtual – not meeting onsite – for the next year, until May 2021. And then days later, Gina Raimondo, under pressure, announced that faith communities might be able to begin to consider, as soon as May 30, to meet, with all sorts of size and gathering restrictions in place.
The two recommendations could hardly be further apart.
When the Board meets tonight, this is part of what we’ll be talking about. We won’t be rushing, at all, to meet, but instead thinking thoughtfully and carefully. There are so many questions to consider but the two I hearing most are; (1) what is the most loving action we can take, for all involved? and (2) how does our UU faith inform us in those decisions?
More will be forthcoming from the Board (and perhaps myself) in the next week or two. And, decisions reached will likely evolve.
Meanwhile, the world beckons us to it. To love each other and also the glory of the seasons. To continue to care for those so impacted by the coronavirus. To move thoughtfully and lovingly in this most unusual of times. And to remember and experience the joy amidst all the unknowns.
A Message from DL Helfer
May 15, 2020
Mark your calendars! Just click the link to join at the time!
Monday 10am: Pastoral Check-in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Thursday 10am: Pastoral Check in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Sunday 10am: Audio Worship Service – Available until next week
10:00am: RE Online Gathering for Roses, Buds and Thorns and Parent
Meeting Realtime Video Meet-up
As we head into week 7 or 8 of the coronavirus quarantine, I’m finding myself shifting from that initial anxiety and worry to a rather more practical “ok, how do we live into this?”
A big question.
It’s one I’d like to explore with you.
I don’t know, however, what you most need. I’ve listed some possibilities I’m pondering, but I’m curious if you have ideas of your own. Also, these possibilities are not mutually exclusive – we can consider more than one, depending on who offers leadership.
- A drop -in covenant group, 11-12 on Monday and Thursday: there would be a thematic focus to discuss a relevant topic (hope, coping, parenting, etc.).
- An online class of some sort, offered by a UUCSCer. Maybe meditation or drawing or yoga, something else entirely.
- Education: We could continue our conversations around “An Indigenous Peoples’ History of America,” for example.
- Social justice: There are increasing online opportunities to support efforts local and far, as need for masks, food, and other forms of allyship continue and grow.
A Message from DL Helfer
May 12, 2020
Monday 10am: Pastoral Check-in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Thursday 10am: Pastoral Check in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Sunday 10am: Audio Worship Service – Available until next week
10:00am: RE Online Gathering for Roses, Buds and Thorns and Parent
Meeting Realtime Video Meet-up
Good Tuesday, all,
I’m reading a book, Martin Marten, by Brian Doyle. I love the story – which hinges on a young boy’s coming of age, his connection to the natural world, and finding his place within it.
Now, technically, the book is aimed at young adults, but like so much literature, the enjoyment transcends actual ages. It’s about the spirit of the reader, and how they engage with the characters and the story.
And me, I’m a sucker for a story well told, with hard lessons leading to deeper connection with oneself and others.
Among all fear and the worry, all the uncertainty and unknown, is a coming of age story. Perhaps it’s the epoch that we learn to care for each other differently. Maybe it’s the time when we recognize that the communal slaughter of meat for consumption is an unsustainable practice. Perhaps it’s the time when we decide, once and for all, that our most important role is to care for those among us that need food, housing, childcare, healthcare, and more. It could be the time when we decide that those essential workers we are glorifying need unions, decent wages, and protections.
This is our story to write.
For those of you that are asking, “what can I do right now?,” I wonder how we might impact our shared story.
I don’t have the answers, but I know the story has more chapters, and that our actions, now, determine its outcome.
A Message from DL Helfer
May 8, 2020
Monday 10am: Pastoral Check-in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Thursday 10am: Pastoral Check in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Sunday 10am: Audio Worship Service – Available until next week
10:00am: RE Online Gathering for Roses, Buds and Thorns and Parent
Meeting Realtime Video Meet-up
Happy Friday, all.
I’m fielding more, and good, questions, lately.
How are UUCSC Members and Friends doing? Has anyone had COVID within the congregation? Who is in need and how can I help?
The good news is that we’ve been extremely fortunate. No one in the congregation, to date, has tested positive with coronavirus. There have been losses of family members of congregants, but I do not feel that is mine to report here.
A few of you asked, weeks ago, “can we have an online joys and concerns so that we know how each other are doing?” I invite you to attend the zoom calls on Monday and Thursday morning (information above), when some of this is shared. At the request of some congregants, I held a joys and concerns call for a few weeks, but almost none attended. We can revisit that if there is sufficient interest.
Thank you for your many offers of help. Nothing is needed at this time, but your generosity of spirit is lovely to see.
Then there’s the big question I keep hearing: when will we meet in person again?
You’ll hear me talk about this in my Sunday homily, but it bears repeating here.
We will not be meeting in person any time soon.
I know we miss each other. But safety of all means we follow the guidance, and even then, conservatively, issued by the Governor and the CDC. We’re going to hit a second wave, all predictions indicate, and I’m not willing to lose anyone because we chose to meet too early.
This is a strong and loving community, one that knows how to support each other even when not physically together. Right now, this is the way we live our values, in part, by taking care of each other. When it’s time, we will find our way back together in person.
With much love,
Rev. DL
A Message from DL Helfer
May 5, 2020
Monday 10am: Pastoral Check-in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Thursday 10am: Pastoral Check in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Sunday 10am: Audio Worship Service – Available until next week
10:00am: RE Online Gathering for Roses, Buds and Thorns and Parent
Meeting Realtime Video Meet-up
Hello, beloveds,
What a difference some sun makes! Suddenly, some optimism has returned, and life, in the form of flowers, trees, and thriving water bodies, surrounds us.
Our change in mood, from being in some light and fresh air, it reminds me, how we mammalian beings, how we, too, change with the seasons.
It provides a promise of sorts, too, that this season of fear, of not knowing, that it too will change. It will – at some point – give way to hope, to renewal, to life.
I see proof of this in my front yard.
Last November, maybe a week before my mom died, I more or less threw tulip bulbs in the ground outside my house. Some part of me knew spring would arrive, I’d see these gorgeous flowers, and know she would have loved them.
Some part of her is here with me, for this coming Mother’s Day weekend.
That’s my hope for you this week, that as you feel the sun or see the sky, that you notice who you carry with you, what sustains you, and that you feel, concretely, your place in the larger arc of life.
Happy Mother’s Day, too, to all who celebrate.
With much love,
Rev. DL
A Message from the Board of Directors
May 1, 2020
*Please note Pastoral Check-ins are Mondays and Thursdays, not Tuesdays and Thursdays as indicated in the email sent from Rev. DL on the 28th.
Dear UUCSC,
The UUCSC Board of Directors
A Message from DL Helfer
April 28, 2020
Monday 10am: Pastoral Check-in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Thursday 10am: Pastoral Check in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Sunday 10am: Audio Worship Service – Available until next week
10:00am: RE Online Gathering for Roses, Buds and Thorns and Parent Meeting Realtime Video Meet-up
Hello, beloveds,
I have heard from so many of you that you miss our congregational family and seeing familiar faces on Sunday mornings and at church gatherings. And while there is nothing that fully replaces the feeling of gathering together in person, I want to remind you that there are several opportunities each week to connect with our congregational family, even from afar.
Pastoral Check-ins:
- Monday and Thursday at 10:00am (please note that the Thursday evening check in has been lightly attended lately, so I’m moving it back to Thursday morning at 10am)
RE and Family Check-ins:
- Sunday at 10:00 am, followed by an informal parent group. This has been a sweet opportunity for children and parents to connect. Please note: this time is for RE families only.
Sharing Hope and Joy During the Pandemic:
- Fridays: please email Etta with pictures, poetry, and short videos to share, as a means to bring each other hope and joy. These will be shared on weekly on our website. There are some great images there already! You can check them out here.
These are only the efforts I’m leading. There are many other connections — choir, small groups, some committees, and friend groups all meeting remotely.
As I watch spirits flag, particularly during these rainy, cold days, I encourage you to reach out. Name what you’re feeling, be seen, and release some of the worry, fear, or sadness to others that can help you hold it.
I’ll share that I cry more readily right now, momentarily overwhelmed and frustrated by what is, what will follow, craving so deeply to make changes so that others will be ok. I share this to say that wherever you are, whatever you’re feeling, it’s ok. Notice it, acknowledge it, honor it, and then, allow it to move on, and make space for another moment to arrive.
With much love,
Rev. DL
A Message from DL Helfer
April 21, 2020
Links for ongoing opportunities to connect and support each other.
Mark your calendars! Just click the link to join at the time!
Monday 10am: Pastoral Check-in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Thursday 7pm: Pastoral Check in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Sunday 10am: Audio Worship Service – Available until next week
10:30am: RE Online Gathering for Roses, Buds and Thorns –
Realtime Video Meet-up
Dear UUCSCers,
When we made the decision to close UUCSC for the duration of the pandemic, the question that arose was “What might you need?”
So, among many other steps, the Pastoral Care Committee put together a dozen care packages – dry goods and foods to last for a week or two. Some of those supplies have already been put to use. Some of those supplies, however, sit waiting to be used.
If you are in need, please let Rev. DL know, and we will deliver one of those care packages to you. And in these challenging economic times, even if you’ve never found yourself without basic income before, please don’t hesitate to ask for help. It’s why we are here, in part.
If at the end of the week, there are care packages remaining, they will be donated to Johnnycake, who is responding to a tremendous surge in need for basic foodstuffs. We are grateful to be in a position to support their efforts.
With love,
Rev. DL
A Message from DL Helfer
April 17, 2020
Links for ongoing opportunities to connect and support each other.
Mark your calendars! Just click the link to join at the time!
Monday 10am: Pastoral Check-in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Thursday 7pm: Pastoral Check in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Sunday 10am: Audio Worship Service – Available until next week
10:30am: RE Online Gathering for Roses, Buds and Thorns –
Realtime Video Meet-up
Dear UUCSCers,
What a gorgeous Friday, if a bit chilly, as I write this.
This spring feels different. More…something. Special. Beautiful. Soul-filling.
Some of you have reflected on this already, noticing how a shifted life, one more home-based, and slower for many, is guiding us in a different direction. For gardeners, bird watchers, and nature lovers, things seem, perhaps, in bright relief. The colors are sharper, the sounds more noticeable, and the scents more fragrant.
In the midst of all the hard, we’re beginning to notice the beauty.
I invite us each this week, to reflect on that. Are there shifts, and if so, what, in your life, during this time of physical isolation, that you want to continue long after mandated to do so?
Listen, to what that still, small voice within is telling you.
And enjoy this glorious spring.
With love,
Rev. DL
A Message from DL Helfer
April 14, 2020
Links for ongoing opportunities to connect and support each other.
Mark your calendars! Just click the link to join at the time!
Monday 10am: Pastoral Check-in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Tuesday 6:30pm: Joys and Concerns – Realtime Video Meet-up
Thursday 7pm: Pastoral Check in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Sunday 10am: Audio Worship Service – Available until next week
10:30am: RE Online Gathering for Roses, Buds and Thorns –
Realtime Video Meet-up
Dear UUCSCers,
In these times, some of us are walking hospital corridors, caring for patients. Some are in nursing homes or other care settings. Some are other types “essential” workers, stocking groceries or delivering prescriptions. Many of us are physically distancing at home. And some of us are (also) working to both care for and reassure children.
All of us, every one of us, needs to step away sometimes to breathe, to center, and to ground, before we can re-engage with the complexity of this pandemic.
This week, with that in mind, my partner Mimi has a special offering for you: a free yoga class, at 9am this Friday morning. It’s “chair yoga,” which means all you need is you and a straight-backed chair (like a dining room chair, without arms on the chair). No props or experience necessary.
This is meant to be accessible to all. We’ll see how this goes, how many attend, and if merited we may offer it again in the future.
In the meantime, I encourage you, us all, to find grounding where we an. Maybe yoga isn’t for you. But maybe it is.
It’s worth finding out.
With much love,
Rev. DL
A Message from DL Helfer
April 10, 2020
Links for ongoing opportunities to connect and support each other.
Mark your calendars! Just click the link to join at the time!
Monday 10am: Pastoral Check-in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Tuesday 6:30pm: Joys and Concerns – Realtime Video Meet-up
Thursday 7pm: Pastoral Check in – Realtime Video Meet-up
Sunday 10am: Audio Worship Service – Available until next week
10:30am: RE Online Gathering for Roses, Buds and Thorns –
Realtime Video Meet-up
Dear UUCSCers,
In this week between Passover and Easter, in a week with a “supermoon,” I’ve been noticing the shift of many to a more reflective place.
We’re beginning to move from reacting and responding to COVID-19 to making meaning from the experience. Rightfully, I think.
It makes me wonder:
Who do we want to be, as a society, when this is over?
Will we remember, for long, those whose actions saved us?
Will we pass legislation to ensure a living wage and healthcare to everyone, and most
Importantly those impacted by their work on the front lines?
Will we decide, as a people, that our priorities have shifted?
They say it takes 3 weeks for a change to become habit. This will well outlast that.
So whom do we want to become, what do we want to invite in?
Such is the invitation this week. I know some are too busy for this level of reflection, but in the moments you spend worrying, wondering, shift, where you can, your focus to envisioning the world we dream of.
Love,
Rev. DL
Settling Into Connecting Virtually
A Message from Rev. DL Helfer
April 3, 2020
Hello, all,
Apparently, my Wednesday note mentioning a zoom-based RE gathering this Sunday morning left some wondering, “will there be worship offering?” Yes, each and every Sunday, until we can meet again in person, there will be an electronic worship offering. This Sunday’s worship is “The Promise of Passover.”
I have also received a number of requests for an online time for Joys and Sorrows, the way we practice each Sunday in the sanctuary. For older youth (16+) and adults, I welcome you to join us this coming Tuesday, April 7, 6:30-7pm. But a note that this is for Joys and Concerns only, briefly naming those things we might share on a Sunday morning.
IF what you want is a deeper check-in, please join the check in zoom meetings on Monday at 10am or Thursday at 7pm. That is where we have an opportunity for a check-in, for sharing how we are, and for deeply hearing others.
So, a reminder of our worship/RE/pastoral opportunities to connect:
Monday: 10am Pastoral Check- in
Tuesday: 6:30pm Joys and Concerns
Thursday: 7pm Pastoral Check in
Sunday: 10am Audio Online Worship (Available all week)
10:30 RE Zoom gathering
With love,
Rev. DL
Fill up Your Own Well
A message from Rev. DL Helfer
April 1, 2020
Hello,
I’m hearing from many of you how COVID-19 is feeling ever more real in your lives. Understandably so. The worry for others, even more than for yourselves, is palpable. And as I tell anyone who will listen, this makes me love you all even more, that generosity of spirit.
But this is going to get harder, as we all realize, before any sense of ease starts to begin.
So, today my note to you is a reminder, lovingly, to keep filling up your own well.
Begin, perhaps, with this reminder from Bethany of how to do joys/concerns or roses/bud/thorns (as RE calls it) at home. These rituals are important.
This Sunday, at 10:30 am, we invite RE families to join Rev. DL via Zoom so that we may share roses/buds/thorns together. Join here.
Lastly, a reminder that we have Zoom check-ins Monday at 10am and Thursday at 7pm. If you’re feeling grief, alone, fear, we’re here to hold that with you. Join here.
With much love,
Rev. DL
Maintaining a Sense of Hope
A message from Rev. DL
March 28, 2020
How to Keep in Touch
A message from Rev. DL
March 25, 2020
Here are some of the ways we can safely keep in touch while we’re waiting for this health crisis to pass.
Worship on Sundays
A worship service Music Director Michael Galib and I prepared will be broadcast on the UUCSC website each Sunday at 10:00 a.m. There is no picture; just sound. Don’t worry if you can’t tune in at 10: a.m. The service will be available to listen to any time later.
Sermon topics will respond to needs that emerge each week, so they won’t be announced in advance. But the service on Sunday, April 5 will have a Passover theme, and the service on Sunday, April 12 will have an Easter theme.
E-mail updates during the week
At least twice a week, you will receive a Constant Contact e-mail like this one that will include congregation news and resources you might find helpful. The mid-week e-mail will include a link to an on-line offering from Religious Education Director Bethany Vaccaro.
Twice-weekly on-line pastoral sessions
Twice a week, on Mondays at 10:00 a.m. and Thursdays at 7:00 p.m., I will hold on-line pastoral meetings. If you have a computer, tablet, or phone with two-way audio and video capability, you can participate in these sessions using a free software program called Zoom. Download Zoom to your computer or device in advance. At the meeting time, open this link.
Families with children, if you can think of a way the congregation could provide more support for you, please get in touch with me, Bethany, or the Religious Education Committee.
The Pastoral Care team have been reaching out to members of the congregation. If you haven’t heard from anyone and you need help— for instance, if you’re older or vulnerable to infections and you need someone to shop for you— please get in touch with me or with Board of Directors President Natalie Herbermann. We have many ways of assisting you, so don’t hesitate to ask.
If you need to communicate directly with me, all Board members, staff members, and committee chairs have my telephone number, or you can send me an e-mail. Don’t worry if I don’t respond immediately. It means I’m prioritizing more urgent issues, but I will get back to you.
With love,
Rev. DL