May 30, 2021 | Sermons
Sunday, May 30, 2021
Rev. Dr. Neal Jones, Guest Minister
The insurrection at our Capital on January 6 was a graphic reminder of the fragility of democracy, even American democracy. But the threat runs deeper and politics and ideology. It is spiritual. It’s the inability to put the common good before self-interest.
Rev. Dr. Neal Jones is a psychologist at the Pisgah Institute in Asheville. He came here after serving five congregations in North and South Carolina and in Texas, most recently Main Line Unitarian near Philadelphia, PA, and the UU Congregation of Columbia SC. He also serves as the chair of the national board of trustees of Americans United for Separation of Church & State.
May 27, 2021 | Green Tips
Reel mowers leave a sharp snip off the grass blades while the engine-powered mowers tear tops off the blades and weaken the grass over time.
May 25, 2021 | Vespers & Wednesday Program
Join us for Vespers led by John Bloomer as we reflect on voyages and adventures in our lives.
The 7PM program will be the last in our Theology Series. Rev. Claudia will facilitate an exploration of Mujerista (Moo-her-ista) Theology. Don’t know what that is? Join us and find out!
This will be our last Wednesday Thing Program for this liturgical year. We will resume Vespers and Program in September. If you are interested in leading a Vespers service in the fall or have suggestions for a program contact Rev. Claudia faithdev@uuasheville.org.
May 25, 2021 | Justice Ministry
Why? In order to understand the current anti-racism work at UUCA and review our practices and policies we need to hear from you. The survey will provide a baseline that together with input from listening sessions to be organized in the fall will enable the Racial Justice Advisory Council to provide the board a summary report of congregational perceptions. The report will also include recommendations for ways to continue striving toward the goal of being a congregation where all can flourish; where anti-racism is an on-going practice. You, the congregation, will have opportunities to review the report for feedback before it is shared with the board.
A little history. In their November 20, 2020 email to the congregation, the UUCA Board of Trustees invited all of UUCA to join together in a congregation-wide effort to further the cause of racial justice. They asked us to put our values of justice, compassion, inspiration and connection into action by working to become a congregation that practices anti-racism. To that end, the Board previously passed a resolution at its October meeting creating the Racial Justice Advisory Council (RJAC). I would provide support and internal accountability to the RJAC. At the November 10th Board meeting Noah Hall, Eleanor Lane, Melissa Murphy, Ed Prestemon and Missy Reed were invited to serve on the RJAC. As part of our initial efforts, we seek to better understand current anti-racism work at UUCA using the UUCA Assessment Tool to capture information.
Friends, this is transformative and liberatory work that calls not only for individual learning and reflection, but organizational learning and reflection. I am sharing a link to a video with instructions on filling out the assessment tool (Thank you, Noah Hall!) Contact Rev. Claudia for the link when you are ready to complete the assessment tool.
https://youtu.be/mcfudLFVuQU
We want to hear from as many of you as possible. Your investment of 20 – 30 minutes of your time to complete the tool will be greatly appreciated. It may take a little longer. You may not have experience with all the categories in the tool, and it will take less time. Answer what you know. That will be enough and very helpful. The deadline is June 30. If you have any technical problems or questions, please contact me at faithdev@uuasheville.org
With gratitude, joy and anticipation for the work we will do together,
Rev. Claudia
Minister of Faith Development
May 25, 2021 | Featured
Racially Charged: America’s Misdemeanor Problem exposes how our country’s history of racial injustice evolved into an enormous abuse of criminal justice power. 13 million people a year – most of them poor and people of color – are abused by this system.
Through first-person accounts of those charged under the Black Codes of the Reconstruction era paralleled with the outrageous stories of people trapped in the system today, the film brings to light the unfolding of a powerful engine of profits and racial inequality. With the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, this film provides historical context and examines America’s history of racist oppression.
“A revelatory film, directed by Robert Greenwald, exposing, with searing history and staggering facts, the invidious, disproportionate impact of minor offenses on people of color. Brave New Films creatively marshals eloquent scholars, passionate activists and fascinating historical footage to challenge us all to continue working for systemic changes to our criminal justice system.”
~ Katrina vanden Heuvel, Editorial Director & Publisher, The Nation
“A powerful, emotional and important film… Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films leading the charge, once again. The film powerfully illustrates that every year America arrests, prosecutes, and jails millions of people, overwhelmingly Black and Brown, for minor offenses. This is neither an accident nor inevitable.
Watch, absorb, and then go out and take action…”
~ Anthony Romero Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union
Note: This film will be viewed on Zoom. Send a request for the link to Charlie Wussow at mnpopi@icloud.com by Thursday, June 17th. There will be a discussion after the screening of the film.
This screening is free. Donations are gratefully accepted.
