Join us this Sunday
10:30 a.m. Service:  “Soul, Soul, and Evermore, Soul.”  Our ancestor Ralph Waldo Emerson said the world needs nothing more than this. Rev. Celie Katovitch.    

9:15 a.m. Drop-in Discussion:  Ultimate Composting: the Humanure Handbook. “Night soil” has contributed to improving human nutrition for years and in various cultures.  Kate Fleury will discuss how composting human manure can be done safely and easily, drawing on the books The Humanure Handbook and Start With the Soil.
Minister's Office Hours
Rev. Celie's community office hours have been cancelled for Thursday, March 16th.  
Upcoming Events
Easter Flower Orders
tulips_in_bucket.jpg

Easter is April 16!  It is time to order plants to beautify our Sanctuary. Look for friendly volunteers in the Clara Barton Lounge, who will happily take your order on March 19th and 26th. The cost is $8.00 per plant. You may choose to take your plant home or donate it to a member of our home congregation. 
RAIHN Week & 2nd Level Training

March 26 ­­‒ April 2 will be our next RAIHN Week, when we give temporarily homeless families good food to eat and a safe place to stay at First Universalist. If you'd like to help, sign up in the Clara Barton Lounge after the Sunday service or contact Chris DeGolyer, chrisdeg@frontiernet.net, Marti Eggers, mceggers@gmail.com, or Sarah Singal, ssingal@rochester.rr.com. If you'd like to learn more before volunteering, ask us about "shadowing" experienced volunteers. We especially need overnight volunteers, who sleep over at the church and set out breakfast the next morning.

If you have already trained and would like to learn more about the issues our RAIHN families face, please attend the 2nd level training on Thursday, March 23rd from 6:30-8:00 PM, at Third Presbyterian Church, 4 Meigs St, Rochester.  *Rochester Area Interfaith Hospitality Network: keeping families together. Getting families home for good.
Come Build the Land, My People, We Seek

The 2017 Stewardship Campaign is here! Watch for your stewardship materials in the mail this week. Pledge Sunday, April 9, will mark the end of the drive and we are asking all members and friends to return their pledge cards (or pledge online at uuroc.org/stewardship) by that date. Thank you!
Additional Announcements

FROM AGE-ING TO SAGE-ING: This Adult Education class takes place Thursdays, March 2, 9, 16, and 23 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. @ the Irondequoit Library (1290 Titus Ave.).  Presented by Rev. Michelle Yates, Director of Life Span Faith Development. RSVPs and questions can be directed to Michelle at edu@uuroc.org.

SOCIAL JUSTICE PLATE:  Our March 19th Social Justice Plate offering will be for Mary's Place Outreach Center located in the Northwest section of Rochester. Marys' place has been in existence since 2009. They offer assistance in many different ways to refugees arriving from various countries. English as a second language classes are offered as well as concrete help in finding permanent housing, among other very necessary services.The committee thought this would be an appropriate program for the congregation to donate to during these turbulent times. We thank you in advance! 

INTERFAITH IMPACT OF NYS Annual Legislative Briefing will take place on March 19th from 2pm - 4:30pm at The Baptist Temple (1101 Clover Street at Highland Avenue).  The topic is Black Lives Matter: An Approach to Building Beloved Community. Panelists include:  Rev. Julius David Jackson, Jr., Senior Pastor of Salem United Church of Christ; James Sheppard, Member of the Monroe County Legislature, 23rd District; Dick Gilbert, Unitarian Universalist Minister; and Teen Empowerment Youth Organizers. For more information, please call (585) 442-5111.

BOOK GROUP: Our selection for the month of March is Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. This is a memoir by an activist lawyer who learned first hand the injustices of our criminal system. His book encourages us to take a long, hard, deep, look at our judicial system as it exists today. Please join us at 12 noon on March 26th in the upstairs chalice room. Join us even if you have not had a chance to read the book, as our conversation will encourage you to do so. Contact Sarah Singal (ssingal@Rochester.ff.com) or Shirley Bond (bondshirl1@gmail.com) with questions.

MEMBERSHIP SUNDAY IS APRIL 2:  Perhaps you are ready to join our beloved Church.  If so, please join us for our Path to Membership Class on Saturday, April 1 from 10:00 AM until 12:00 PM, which includes a welcoming brunch.  Led by Rev. Celie and lay leaders in the congregation, the session includes introduction to the various aspects of our church community. Contact Connie Valk cvalk@frontiernet.net to reserve your spot.  Let her know if you need childcare. If you are not sure you want to join, or have joined recently, come anyway. You will learn more about what makes us tick.

ST LAWRENCE SPRING GATHERING: Saturday, April 1st. This year the event will be held at May Memorial UU Society in Syracuse. If you would like to participate, please contact Shirley Bond at Bondshirl1@gmail.com or any member of the nominating committee.

PASSOVER SEDER: Clara Barton Lounge, Friday, April 14th at 6:00 PM. A pot luck dinner will be part of the event so capacity will be limited.  Please be sure to sign-up if you plan on attending. If you would like to help or have questions, please call Lew Ward-Baker at 244-6968 or email him at patnlew@rochester.rr.com.
Save the Date:  Car City 2017
Saturday, May 6th – Sunday, May 7th at Asbury First United Methodist Church. Raise money and camp out in your car!  Learn more by clicking here.
To submit an item for "This Week at First Universalist", e-mail  office@uuroc.org no later than Thursday at noon.  
Staff:

Rev. Celie Katovitch, Minister

Rev. Michelle Yates, Director of Life Span Faith Development

Stacey Yang, Director of Music

Melissa Davies, Office Administrator
150 S. Clinton Ave., Rochester, NY 14604 | (585) 546-2826 | office@uuroc.org