June 14-18, 2021 - 10 Lyons Plains Road Westport, CT 06880 - Phone: 203.227.7205
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QUICK REMINDER: ANNUAL MEETING TODAY, SUNDAY JUNE 13, AFTER OUR SERVICE. SAME ZOOM AS WORSHIP. 11:30 START
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THE BUILDING IS OPEN FOR SCHEDULED MEETINGS!
SOME RULES APPLY
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It's been a long year, and we're delighted to start to open up our building to teams and groups, as long as they have been cleared in advance with Diane. diane@uuwestport.org
Here are our requirements:
1. Alert Diane to your intent to meet in person, so she can put it in the calendar
2. Masks are required for all if anyone is not vaccinated. If folks are all vaccinated, masks can be off.
3. If you bring in food or drink, you must take it all with you when you leave. NO EXCEPTIONS.
4. No food or drink preparation in the kitchen, please.
5. If you generate any trash, please take that home with you, too, otherwise it could sit in the hot building and fester ...
As always, please leave the space as you found it. This building is our place of worship and our community gathering area. It is also our staff's workplace. Please let's be thoughtful of one another.
Note: The Meeting House is also available for use, but only the main room and bathroom - no kitchen or other floors, please. No food preparation; take any trash home with you.
Questions? Contact Diane. Thank you!
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SUMMER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION FOR GAIA
NEXT SUNDAY JUNE 20 3:00 - 6:00 PM
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Join us on next Sunday afternoon for a Hawaiian Ho'oponopono ceremony and labyrinth walk in the sanctuary at our building to honor the solstice. This is a special service which we are delighted to share with the public. Thanks to Marjorie Partch and Bart Stuck for making this happen for us. |
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Co-Presented by the Sacred Activism® and Aleph Talks© Programs
Co-Sponsored by Earthplace and Sustainable Westport
Pre-Registration Recommended @ AlephTalks.com Info & RSVP 203.722.2149
3:30 PM Opening Ceremony With Special Guest Facilitator Barbara Ann Hall, PhD
Labyrinth & Sanctuary Open From 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
For more information, click HERE. |
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NAME CHANGE DISCUSSIONS: SUNDAY JUNE 20 and more |
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Previously the Board of Trustees announced its intention to encourage our community to consider changing our name to be more accurate (Unitarian Universalist) and more inclusive ('church' can be a limiting descriptor). At the time it promised opportunities for discussion on this matter.
The Board held one robust open discussion last month, and has announced three more meetings, for all of us to chime in. These meetings will be:
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Sunday, June 20, directly after the worship service. Catherine Onyemelukwe, Wendy Levy, hosts. ZOOM same as worship service.
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Tuesday, June 29, 6:00 PM. Luke Garvey and Beth Cliff, hosts. ZOOM HERE
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Saturday, July 17, 9:00 AM. Catherine Onyemelukwe, host. ZOOM HERE
If you have not attended a prior meeting, we encourage you to join one of these meetings, and share your thoughts and opinions.
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Please note: The Board will be meeting this Tuesday, June 15 in the East Wing at 7 PM. Please reach out if you have thoughts, questions to share. board@uuwestport.org
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GOODNIGHT MOONSHINE: VOICES CAFÉ'S FIRST LIVESTREAM PERFORMANCE, SATURDAY JUNE 19, 8:00 PM
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Goodnight Moonshine brings a unique sound to their devoted followers. “Molly Venter’s voice bends from a sweet moan to a gritty shout, and back into a playful run in the space of a few bars” reports Passim.org. “And it all goes down like silk,” writes American Songwriter Magazine. “Few singers turn first time listeners into eternal fanatics as effortlessly as Molly Venter.” |
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Co-writing often, the couple uses the creative process to explore a healthy, authentic relationship. Both wholesome and irreverent, they sing of grief and joy in equal measure; Molly gives smooth delivery to Eben’s assertions, while Eben gives form and focus to Molly’s raw passion.
Click HERE to purchase tickets for this live-stream only concert. There will be no in-house audience. |
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Of about 36 structures that comprised Little Liberia, only the homes of sisters Mary and Eliza Freeman survive on original foundations. Little Liberia (known as Ethiope then Liberia in the 1800s), was a seafaring community of free people of color. It boasted - a luxurious seaside resort hotel for wealthy Blacks (cited in a letter to Frederick Douglass), Bridgeport’s first free lending library, a school for colored children, businesses, fraternal organizations, and churches. Mary & Eliza Freeman were accomplished business women. When Mary Freeman died, the only Bridgeporter of greater wealth was legendary showman P.T. Barnum. The Freeman Houses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places for their significance to African Americans and Women. https://freemancenterbpt.org/
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PROGRESS! CLEAN SLATE IS A REALITY IN CONNECTICUT! |
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CLEAN SLATE passed the CT General Assembly and has been signed by Governor Lamont. Thank you to everyone who contacted their representatives and called the Governor to make Clean Slate a reality!
The Bill, three years in the making, will help formerly-incarcerated people move on with their lives and find employment by automatically clearing records of their past convictions after between seven and 10 years, depending on the severity of the crime. It covers misdemeanors and some class D and E felonies.
Connecticut becomes the sixth state in the union with such a Bill, which will impact the lives of over 200,000 State residents who have formerly been incarcerated. It is the third covering felonies, and may be the most robust in this area.
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RACIAL HEALTH INEQUITIES: A VIRTUAL WEBINAR
MONDAY, JUNE 28 - 7:00 PM on ZOOM
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Did you know?
Connecticut is one of our country’s healthiest states, yet there are tragic and costly racial disparities between the health of white residents and residents of color. We must do what we each can to address this situation; join us to learn more at our upcoming webinar brought to us by our TUCWomen.
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Our guest speaker will be Rev. Robyn Anderson, Director of the Ministerial Health Fellowship, an integrated, faith-based health care advocacy network that addresses systemic barrier to black communities' access to care. David Vita will share action steps, and Carolyn Gundell will be our moderator. This event will feature art and musical performances by actor Ryan Williams French and The Quintet, an ensemble led by our own Rev. Ed Thompson.
Advance registration is required. Click HERE to register
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NEW! INFORMAL, FUN AND GOOD-FOR-YOU
BODY MOVEMENT CLASS. JOIN US!
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Our fellow member Joan Glasser Orenstein has graciously agreed to run a low impact body movement/aerobics class for some of us who want to get together and have some fun - and honor our bodies in the process. Outside, at church, casually. Are you interested in joining us? Likely it will be end- of-day or on the weekend, but a lot depends on group preference.
Join us! Email events@uuwestport.org with "MOVING" in the subject line and tell us your preferences and availability. Every fitness level welcome: it’ll be about laughter and connection AND body care.
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TUCW-ERS INVITED TO SHARE THEIR WISDOM THIS SUMMER
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From July 4- August 29, our ministers will be taking a well-deserved break from their weekly messages: the Tuesday reflections via email, and the short videos on Wednesdays and Fridays.
As part of our summer lay ministry, we invite TUCW friends to share a spiritual message with us - an essay, some music, poetry, a reading - for each of these weekly communication spots.
If you are interested, please let Beth Cliff know and she'll reserve a spot for you. We are most interested in a personal essay of 300-400 words for the eight Tuesdays; but the short 2-3 minutes videos are welcome too.
Let's hear from one another! We all have thought-provoking perspectives, insights, experiences, reflections and wisdom to share.
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Our very successful Capital Campaign to fund essential repairs and renovations to our iconic building is well underway. We have improved and upgraded the parking lot, installed a new concrete sidewalk in front of the church, and solved our flooding issues. We are ready to begin the next phase of the plan which concentrates on the sanctuary, specifically, restoring the skylight. ...CLICK FOR MORE
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•ONGOING PROGRAMMING EACH WEEK•
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Mondays 6-7:30 PM via ZOOM Buddhist Practice Group Nina Nagy Let Nina know you are attending.Teachings offered on a donation basis.
Wednesdays: 7-8:15 PM The Power of Now Jim Francek; 7-9 PM Is Mysticism Where Science, Art and Religion Meet? Bart Stuck
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Our complete calendar is always on our website. Click HERE for quick access.
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Sacred Circles with Grandmother Nancy: Tuesday, June 15, 7:00-8:30 PM. Talking circle, thought-provoking conversations. ZOOM HERE.
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Virtual Potluck on Zoom, Friday, June 18. 7:00-8:30 PM. Get to know your fellow TUCWomen with interesting conversation around a theme. Hosted by Eileen Belmont and Pat Francek.
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Meditation Mondays: Starting June 21, 7:00-8:00 PM. Different types of meditations throughout July. FIrst: "Setting Your Foundation Physically and Mentally" with Carol Hamilton and Elizabeth Macdonald. Includes a guided meditation. ZOOM HERE
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Revealing History: How We Got Here, Why It Matters, a webinar, Monday, June 28, 7:00-8:30 PM. (see above) Click HERE to register.
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Black Lives Matter Book Group, Friday, July 9, 7:00-8:30 PM. We will be discussing the first five chapters (140 pages) of the book The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee. ZOOM HERE
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SAVE THE DATES! July 27 Celebrate the launch of a new book by a TUCWomen founding member, Janet Luongo: Rebellion, 1967: A Memoir. October 9, 9 AM - 5 PM Women’s Retreat at Mercy Center by the Sea, Madison CT
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PASTORAL CARE
If you are going through a challenging time or know somebody in the congregation who needs support from our Pastoral Care Chaplains, call to leave a confidential message in the PCA voice mailbox 203-227-7205 ext. 19 or email pca@uuwestport.org.
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ADDICTION RECOVERY
For individuals or families of our congregation seeking confidential support or information about addiction issues. Please contact our Addiction Recovery Ministry by calling 203-227-7205 ext. 19 or emailing pca@uuwestport.org
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The Unitarian Church in Westport is a diverse and welcoming religious community, free of creed and dogma, and open to people of all backgrounds and beliefs.
WE INSPIRE and support individual spiritual growth.
WE CONNECT through worship, music, learning, and caring ministries.
WE ACT in the service of peace and justice.
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