Feb 25, 2021 | Justice Ministry
What’s happening with our goal of working to become an anti-racist congregation? The Racial Justice Advisory Council (RJAC) has been meeting twice a month since the board’s invitation to the congregation to work toward this goal. Our team members are Noah Hall, Eleanor Lane, Melissa Murphy, Ed Prestemon and Missy Read. I serve as staff liaison. Initially, we focused on identifying a tool to assess where we are as a congregation on the journey to becoming anti-racist, and to set a timeline for collecting feedback, organizing focus groups and providing a report with recommendations to the board. Whew! We also discussed the importance of having an external accountability partner with equity training and leadership experience to support the council’s work. As I interviewed possible partners, I learned a lot from our conversations. It became apparent that we were trying to rush into creating a timeline without laying the groundwork for the committee to do this work. Each person I spoke to emphasized the importance of the council doing their own work to develop a shared analysis of what we mean by anti-racism, multiculturalism, diversity and racial justice, and how these concepts relate to our goal of an anti-racist congregation. As a result of these conversations, our meetings now include grounding work as well as preparations for rolling out an assessment tool. We have also created a communication plan to keep you informed of our progress through the e-News, website, Facebook and worship during “The Work of the Congregation.” All of this will be launched with a congregational letter that will be shared in March. I am grateful and excited to be on this journey with such a committed team. As we prepare to transition to interim ministry, exploring what kind of congregation we want to be when we emerge from pandemic isolation will support the work of the interim minister we will welcome in August. Along the way, your feedback and questions are welcome.
Rev. Claudia Jiménez, Minister of Faith Development
Feb 25, 2021 | Green Tips
Keep in mind when you’re reading the list of ingredients in personal care products that fragrance is the main ingredient associated with allergic reactions. Best to choose non-synthetic fragrances from plant essential oils.
Feb 21, 2021 | Sermons
Sunday, January 21, 2021
Rev. Mark Ward Lead Minister
In one more week with Howard Thurman, we focus particularly on his unique perspective on the life and ministry of Jesus.
Feb 20, 2021 | Featured
– The film is 2040, about the future we could create if we embraced the best climate solutions available today. This film cannot be shown on Zoom so please watch it on your own and join the discussion on Friday, March 12 at 7pm. Contact Charlie Wussow to obtain the links to view the film and the guided Zoom discussion.
Award-winning director Damon Gameau (That Sugar Film) embarks on a journey to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us to improve our planet and shifted them rapidly into the mainstream. Structured as a visual letter to his 4-year-old daughter, Damon blends traditional documentary with dramatized sequences and high-end visual effects to create a vision board of how these solutions could regenerate the world for future generations.
Many academics believe that people become inactive or paralyzed on this topic because it all just feels too overwhelming and alarming. 2040 is an aspirational film full of hope about the possibility to make changes that will shift the course for humanity and the planet. This is the narrative the next generation needs to see, to aspire to, and to believe is possible.
Feb 18, 2021 | Uncategorized, Vespers & Wednesday Program
Join Vespers leader Rev. Claudia to explore knitting and meaning-making. Service to include a video reflection shared by UUCA member Elizabeth Schell.
The 7PM Program will be led by Rev. Terry Davis.
“UU Theology Series: Unitarianism — Boldly Claiming the Pejorative”
When the Boston-based Rev. William Ellery Channing laid out an unorthodox Christian theology in a sermon in 1819, he did something unimaginable: he proudly called it “Unitarianism,” a label that his fellow liberal ministers had shunned. What did Channing preach? How was he able to create respectability for a distinctly different brand of Christianity? Join Rev. Terry Davis as we explore the events that led to Channing’s breakthrough sermon, and what it offered liberal religion then and offers our faith today.
March – Commitment
3
Vespers Leader: James Cassara
Program: Theme Talk – Rev. Claudia
10
Vespers Leader: Rev Mark
Program: Ignorance of White Identity, TBA
17
Vespers Leader: Kelly W
Program: Spiritual Practices – Aging II; Jim Steffe, Rev. Claudia
24
Vespers Leader: Joyce-Hooley Gingrich
Program: Creation Theology, Joyce-Hooley Gingrich
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Vespers Leader: Jeff Jones:
Program: Do Animals have Rights? Jeff Jones
