The Latest News - Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Society

AUCTION ITEMS ON THE GROWING LIST!

Like to read????
Bid on the $100 gift certificate to Breakwater Books in Guilford, donated by Ellen Creane!

Like to camp????
Bid on the family camping equipment donated by Beth Skudder and Chris Jobson!

Critical about your whiskey?
Bid on Art Belanger’s exciting whiskey-tasting party and find the drink of your dreams. The evening includes dinner and poetry-reading!

More to come!

Special Notice from House & Grounds

Neil Schultes and the House & Grounds team will be hosting a work day at SUUS on Saturday, October 22 from 9:00am-noon. Please come and lend your hand as we spruce up SUUS together.

NOTICE: There is maintenance work being done to the SUUS parking lot on Monday, October 23-25 (weather permitting!). Our lot will be inaccessible for parking during that time. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Neil Schultes, House & Ground Chair

Your Voice is Needed – Jeanne’s Reflections 10/18/17

Our Social Justice Empowerment Workshop is coming up in a couple of weeks, October 27th and 28th. With all the issues that exist in the world, this is a rare opportunity to have an outside professional UUA facilitator, Rev. Art McDonald, help us sort through our personal and congregational priorities so that we can effectively marshal the congregation’s resources to respond to issues that are meaningful to this specific congregation and its individual members. What do we stand for, as a congregation, on the shoreline and in the world? Do you know? Do we? We ask members to register for this workshop to find out the answer to this question. Register to make a difference in the life of this congregation and, thus, your own life. Register to make a difference in the life of others.

In case you’re wondering why this workshop matters, I believe that engaging in social justice activities is an important spiritual issue for the congregation and for each of us. Making sure that what we do lines up with what we say, matters. When what we do is congruent with what we say, spiritual health abounds. When it isn’t, the disconnect undermines the spirit and our sense of wholeness. The same is true for the spiritual health of our congregation, its legacy and how others see us.

Friends, more than ever, our faith matters. The world needs us to be witnesses and allies in turning it toward a saner and more compassionate place.

Please join us on Friday evening and on Saturday during the day, if you possibly can. Childcare for young children is provided, free of charge. On Friday, bring a pot-luck dish, arrive at 5:30 to share dinner, and stay till 9 pm, to learn together how to think about contextualizing our justice activities into the life of the congregation and more reasons why it matters. On Saturday, breakfast and lunch are provided. Arrive at 8:30 am if you want breakfast, 9 am if not. Together, we will learn a bit more, and then proceed through a specific process that will allow us to determine the congregation’s top justice priorities.

This milestone event in the life of the congregation will not come again for many years. We’ve been waiting for it for a long time. Please register to come, by signing up on our website (click here) or by signing the sign-up sheets offered downstairs. We need you.

*******************************************************************

Dear Members of SUUS,

I support totally the efforts Rev. Jeanne has made to bring a first class Social Justice Empowerment Workshop to us. Please come and participate actively in this. It can add much strength to our SUUS community and beyond.

Dan Brill, President, SUUS

Nate’s Religious Education News – Oct. 18, 2017

Last Sunday we held a Religious Education Parent Meeting. There was good discussion and feedback. Thank you all who participated. I want to be sure you all have an opportunity to complete our survey. It’s brief. I am attaching the link below, and we will send out an overview of the survey results in a week or so.

https://www.surveymonkey. com/r/SXN3NKT

We are looking for more people to volunteer in the Religious Education Program. We need nursery attendants and a new teacher or two to join our awesome teaching teams!! Youth are welcome! Talk to Nate if you would like to help out.

I will need help decorating for the annual Halloween Party. Anyone interested talk to Nate. Boo!

Religious Education Schedule

October 18 (Wednesday); OWL Parent Orientation, 6:30-8:30pm at the North Madison Congregational Church. This is required for all parents of youth who will be participating in the 7-9th grade OWL program to start in late October.

October 21: Homelessness Awareness “Sleep-out” on the Madison Green. High School youth and Middles Schoolers (6th grade and older) are invited to participate.

October 22: Religious Exploration classes

October 27-29: Social Action Brainstorm Weekend

October 28: St John’s Church of North Guilford is hosting a fun Halloween Party with a Harry Potter theme. The event is called “Diagon Alley.” Tickets are $10 for children (adults are free) and the price includes a wand, an acceptance letter to Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and activities. (129 Ledge Hill Road). Here is a link to the event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/welcome-to-diagon-alley-tickets-38306872888

October 29: Religious Exploration classes, SUUS Halloween Party (details TBA)

November 5: Religious Exploration classes. Bring an image of a loved one who has passed away—could be a pet.

Warm Regards,
Nate Pawelek, DLRE

COMMUNICATIONS UPDATE FOR ALL

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

Things are hopping here at SUUS with so many activities, events, adult-ed and meditation classes, dinners, spiritual dances, justice events, fundraisers, workshops, and movies all wanting our attention and attendance! This is great! But this can cause some challenges for our volunteers and part-time staff.

Our Communications Team would like everyone to know what’s going and have created many ways for that to happen. Today we are sharing two important ways:

1) YOU – data shows that personal contact and talking to people in person is 15x more effective than advertising! If you are hosting an event – identify your likely audience and talk with them. NEW: For safety issues, please do not post anything on the front entry doors or the coffee room door. A bulletin board has been added to the 1st floor hallway for your postings.

2) Our powerful website – it has EVERYTHING you need to know about SUUS. Click on the Calendar and see an entire month of events. Click on Latest News and all the posts from this week and the past three years can be found. You may want to read blogs from our Minister and DRE as well as Archived Sermons. Check out the side bars to see what’s coming up or to sign up to bring flowers or host coffee hour. Hey – you can even DONATE to SUUS!

If you need more info or spend time on FB- be sure you have liked (or rejoined) the SUUS FaceBook page

If you don’t spend much time online, be sure you take home the Sunday Bulletin so you know what’s happening each week.

Thanks to all for making SUUS such an energized and vital place!

PSST! Anything in red is a link to page it represents.

Drop-In Choir this Sunday, October 22nd at 9:00am!

Drop-In choir will meet on Sunday, October 22nd at 9:00a. We will sing two pieces for the service, Hymn #303 We Are the Earth Upright and Proud and Hymn #1021 Lean On Me.

If time allows, we will begin to look at the anthem for Thanksgiving along with a few other surprises. ,I look forward to seeing you on Sunday morning.

Please confirm attendance with an email to: vocal@shorelineunitarian.org.

Many thanks!

In kindness,
Amy

It’s that time of month again – this Sunday, October 22

WE NEED YOUR DONATIONS: Bring feminine hygiene and personal care products in to SUUS this week!

Personal care and feminine hygiene products are a major request at our food pantries and at IRIS (Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services). These items are not eligible to be purchased with WIC or SNAP cards, so many women go without. Please be sure to remember to stock the SUUS pantry container on the landing in the foyer with these items each month. Our Social Justice Team and our Food Pantry volunteers are grateful for all your donations.

Save the Dates: November 4 and December 2

WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Two exciting fundraisers to spark your creativity!

The SUUS Annual Auction on Saturday, November 4, from 5pm-9pm. Family friendly event with childcare. For just $10 per person, you get your bidding #, a buffet dinner, and a glass of wine. If you can’t attend, we can take proxy bids. Contact Dana Duigan at 203-215-2356 for more information on proxy bidding.

Please donate NOW! To submit donations online, CLICK HERE. To download forms, CLICK HERE. Volunteers are always needed. CLICK HERE to sign up for a fun task before, during or after the auction.

SPECIAL NOTE: Donations of “things” – knitted and crocheted items, artwork, jewelry, food, etc. will be accepted for the auction, but MAY be chosen to be part of our new Holiday Pop-Up Shop on Saturday, December 2.

CLICK HERE for donation ideas.

SUUS will be able to accept credit cards, PayPal, checks and cash. Please be prepared to pay for your purchases before you leave on Saturday.

The NEW Holiday Pop-Up Shop on Saturday, December 2 from 11:00am- 2:30pm. Family friendly event with childcare.

SUUS needs your handmade or new gifts to sell at this event. Donate your handmade crafts, baked goods, art and photography. Help set up and sell, and/or contribute to the Holiday Cafe. Lots of opportunities for all ages and skills. Contact Beth Skudder for more details about the event, or Sue Schaedler for details about the Cafe. CLICK HERE for more information

Rhode Island Food Tour in Providence this coming Thursday, 10/19/17

A guided small-group walking tour of Providence, Rhode Island is being planned by the Social Activities and Events committee for October

Our exploration of the city’s architecture, history, art and culture will merge with stops for delicious food tastings at a variety of six different eateries. We’ll sample delicious baked goods, a casual locavore restaurant’s menu, Chinese bao’s, coal-fired pizza, and enjoy a sample of fine dining at Gracie’s.

The tour is scheduled for Thursday, October 19, beginning promptly at 12:00 noon. We will car pool from SUUS at 9:30. The tour entails about 1.8 miles of easy walking over a 3 hour period, and is held rain or shine. Cost is $69 for a very satisfying lunch, ($84 if you would like alcohol served with your food) and guided historic tour.

For tickets and more information go to www.RhodeIslandFoodTours.com, and let one of us know that you will be joining us.

SAE Co-chairs, Kathy Helmrich, Lindalea Ludwick, Maryann Bracken

You’re Invited…3rd Saturday Gathering on October 21, 2017

Join us for this month’s “3rd Saturday Gathering” on October 21, 2017 from 12-2pm at 413 Vineyard Point Road, Guilford, CT. Bring your 2-3 minute essay about topic. And, bring your lunch…coffee/tea provided. Our October topic is: “Religion.”

Program
Arrival 12 noon
Essay Readings (Promptly at 12:30pm)
Discussion of readings
Camaraderie and brown bag lunch
Departure 2:00pm

For more information or to r.s.v.p. that you are coming, please call Edwin Benton at 203-453-0207.

Nate’s Religious Education News -Oct. 11, 2017

Many of us are feeling anxious and maybe a little bit hopeless these days. As we say with seasonal illnesses, “There’s something going around…” Whatever it is that’s ‘going around,’ we need each other to reawaken hope, to help us laugh, and to renew our depleted energy levels. If you are finding it challenging to get out of bed on Sunday mornings, you are not alone. Come to church. There’s a reasonably fair chance you’ll feel better!!

Back in the spring, I helped plan an event at the First Congregational Church in Madison called “Having the Talk,” a workshop for adults on how to help children and youth develop healthy relationships and sexuality in a highly sexualized society. Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Church is one of the sponsors of this event. The workshop will take place on Saturday evening, October 14. If you have children entering adolescence, this may be a useful event for you. You can sign up at www.fccmadison.org.

*Attention! We will have a Shoreline UU Parent Meeting this Sunday, October 15 after church at noon. This is to give you, our parents, an overview of our plans for the RE year and to get your feedback.

We are looking for more people to volunteer to watch the youngest among us in the nursery. This is an occasional job. Youth are welcome! Talk to Nate if you would like to help out.

Religious Education Schedule

October 14 (Saturday): “Having the Talk” sexuality workshop for adults at First Congregational Church. Dinner starts at 5pm, presentation from 6-9pm. Register here: www.fccmadison.org

October 15: Religious Exploration classes resume *Parent Meeting, noon

October 21: Homelessness Awareness “Sleep-out” on the Madison Green. High School youth and Middles Schoolers (6th grade and older) are invited to participate.

October 22: Religious Exploration classes

October 27-29: Social Action Brainstorm Weekend

October 29: Religious Exploration classes, SUUS Halloween Party (details TBA)

Warm Regards,
Nate Pawelek, DLRE

Jeanne’s Reflections – Oct. 11, 2017

In these times, I offer you this poetry by Irena Klepfisz, from “Dedications to Bashert” in Poems to Live By in Troubling Times edited by Joan Murray.

“These words are dedicated to those who survived

because their second grade teacher gave them books

because they did not draw attention to themselves and got lost in the shuffle

because they knew someone who knew someone else who could help them and bumped them into a corner on a Thursday afternoon

because they played it safe

because they were lucky

These words are dedicated to those who survived

because they knew how to cut corners

because they drew attention to themselves and always got picked

because they took risks

because they had no principles and were hard

These words are dedicated to those who survived

because they refused to give up and defied statistics

because they had faith and trusted in G-d [and/or humanity]

because they expected the worst and were always prepared

because they were angry

because they could ask

because they mooched off others and saved their strength

because they endured humiliation

because they turned the other cheek

because they looked the other way

These words are dedicated to those who survived

because life is a wilderness and they were savage

because life is an awakening and they were alert

because life is a flowering and they blossomed

because life is a struggle and they struggled

because life is a gift and they were free to accept it

These words are dedicated to those who survived.”

I pray that those who survive, will not merely survive but will thrive.

With love,

Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, M.Div., M.A.

Auction Update – Oct. 11, 2017

Many wonderful donations are coming in. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. Your contributions are what make this fundraiser a success!

If you didn’t get your donations in yet, what are you waiting for? The auction donation deadline is 10/22/17, less than two weeks away!

Not sure what to donate? Think about things that you like to do (biking, bowling, entertaining, games, crafting, going to an event, etc.) and see if you can turn that into an auction item. Still not sure, contact Dana Duigan at 203-215-2356 and she can help you figure it out.

Be sure to get your donations in before the deadline so that they can make it into the auction book. While items are accepted after the deadline, they typically do not sell as well. Why? Because bidders go to the auction already knowing what they want to bid on.

Thank you and happy bidding!

Dear Members of SUUS,

I support totally the efforts Rev. Jeanne has made to bring a first class Social Justice Empowerment Workshop to us. Please come and participate actively in this. It can add much strength to our SUUS community and beyond.

Dan Brill, President, SUUS

WE NEED YOUR DONATIONS: Bring feminine hygiene and personal care products in to SUUS this week!

WE NEED YOUR HELP! Two exciting fundraisers to spark your creativity!

SUUS will be able to accept credit cards, PayPal, checks and cash. Please be prepared to pay for your purchases before you leave on Saturday.

Madison, CT 06443 ⋅ (203) 245-8720

WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Two exciting fundraisers to spark your creativity!