2023-04-21

Religious Exploration: April 23, 2023

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Religious Exploration & Faith Development
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains
April 23, 2023

2022-2023 RE Theme: Unitarian Universalist Identity
Overview of the Year & Upcoming Schedule

View past newsletters at bit.ly/CUUCRENews
Tonight! Friday, April 21st
Fun Game Night
for All Ages

TONIGHT Fri Apr 21, 7:00pm in Fellowship Hall
6:00pm Pizza - RSVP by 4:00pm Today

Join us for an evening of fun! Friends are welcome! Bring a game to share or play one of ours and enjoy good company. Contact Audra Russell (audrar631@gmail.com). 
If you would like to be included in the pizza order, RSVP with Tracy by 4:00pm today (cuucwptracy@gmail.com). Suggested donation for dinner, $5.

Tomorrow, Saturday April 22nd

Meals for HOPE
Family & Youth Activity

Sat, Apr 22, *1:30am-2:30pm
Join us to make bag lunches and breakfasts. Friends are welcome to participate! RSVP with Christine Haran (christineharan@yahoo.com) to coordinate what food is needed. Please note the adjusted start time for April, 1:30pm.

Pitch In for Parks
for Ages 11-18

Sat Apr 22, 10:00am, Tibbetts Brook Park, Yonkers
Youth groups from all over Westchester County are invited to this special service and networking event with the Westchester Youth Alliance and the Westchester Parks Foundation.

Join us to not only to get outside and perform service together, but network and learn about county-wide advocacy and service opportunities for teens. Our event will include: Welcome & opening with Jill Sternberg co-founder of Restorative Justice Westchester; networking icebreakers; trail and shoreline clearance; restoration of wildlife habitats; removal of invasive vines; ice cream, refreshments, and more! Tibbetts Brook Park is located at 355 Midland Ave, Yonkers. Contact Program Director, Chloe Fernandez at pd@westchesteryouthalliance.org

Ossining Earth Day Festival
Saturday, April 22
For information about events throughout the day, click here
Sunday, April 23rd
Childcare

Sundays, 9:45am-11:45am, Room 32, Yellow Hallway
Diane, Hans, and Willow welcome young children in childcare. We offer a safe, loving environment where our youngest build community and play outside when weather permits. 


Religious Exploration
1st-12th Grade PlaceKeeping Activity

or alternate rainy day activity

10:00am Meet in Fellowship Hall
Weather permitting, Cynthia R - with Bice W, Eileen M, Daniel and Cyndi T and Irene C - will lead our annual Leaf Pack experiment this Sunday to determine which aquatic organisms live in our stream. We will place leaf packs in the stream, then four weeks later retrieve them and analyze what organisms have taken up a home in the leaf packs. This will give us information about the stream as a habitat and the health of the water that flows on our grounds. Please dress for the weather as the activity will be outside and bring a mask with you. Since we will be in our woods, be sure to do a thorough tick check after RE on Sunday.  

If it is raining Sunday morning, David B will have materials for everyone to make the retirement gift RE will give Meredith and LoraKim. If needed, this activity will take place in room 11 in the red hallway. Then the group will place the leaf packs in the stream next Sunday. 

Worship
at CUUC and Online

“The 8th Principle: A Beacon Toward Beloved Community and Inclusion” ~ Bruce Pollack-Johnson, guest speaker

The 8th Principle was created to raise awareness of systemic racism and other oppressions within the UU community, and to commit to action to dismantle them. We will explore some history to help understand why this was necessary, and how we can use this awareness as a lens for working together to build Beloved Community and radical inclusion in our congregations and our world. We will also celebrate the chalice that the 2021-2022 Coming of Age class made and gave to the congregation, which has eight flames, one for each Principle. 

If your young person is in the sanctuary quiet activity area, please sit in the chairs nearby to help them learn to navigate worship space.

Visit our website for the Sunday order of service. We continue to wear masks for Sunday morning worship and RE in the building. Revisit past services anytime at youtube.com/TheLiberalPulpit and subscribe!

Click here to join the live-stream of our Sunday Worship or phone in (audio only): 646-876-9923 · Webinar: 761 321 991 · Passcode: 468468. Everyone live-streaming the service is invited to stay online afterward to socialize on Zoom. Log in to bit.ly/CUUC-CoffeeHour or phone: 929-436-2866. Meeting: 336 956 2210, Passcode: 468468.

CUUC Spring Choral Concert
Music for All Ages

Sun Apr 23, 12:30pm, Sanctuary and Worship Zoom

After an enhanced coffee hour in Fellowship Hall, join us for a concert with the CUUC Choir featuring music from Disney classics. Musical guest Aram Tchobanian, accompanied by Adam Kent, offers Spirituals, folk song, and works by women composers. Contact: Janet Bear (jsbear1@gmail.com)
Upcoming Schedule & Community
Religious Exploration

Fri Apr 21: CUUC Game Night for all ages
Sat Apr 29 (*1:30pm): RE Meals for HOPE
Sun Apr 23: COA chalice dedication in worship; 1st-12th grade RE PlaceKeeping, installing leaf packs; After worship: Spring Choral Concert, Disney classics!
Sat Apr 29: Tag Sale
Sun Apr 30: K-7th grade Chapel; After worship: Odyssey Program with Claire Kuczinski & RE hosts coffeehour
Sun May 7: All RE activity, making a retirement gift for Rev. Meredith; After worship: Canvass brunch
Thu May 11: Barbara begins a new book for Story Time

Click here for the schedule updated April 12th
(May 7th schedule changed)
Find descriptions of the classes and activities here

Girl Scout Cookie Orders

Sun Apr 30 After Worship
Our Girl Scout Cookie order has come in! Muqadas Ghafoor will be at CUUC to hand them out after worship service on Sun Apr 30. Come get your boxes! Questions? Contact Jane Dixon (lilrhodie@gmail.com


Young Voices in Worship

We invite young people to read the chalice lighting and extinguishing words during worship. These dates are open: April 30 and May 14. To volunteer, contact Tracy, cuucwptracy@gmail.com

Calling Young Musicians

The May 7th and 21st worship services will feature music from members of our congregation. Spots are still open in the May 21st service. 

We would love to hear our young people play! If you have something you'd like to share, please let Adam know by May 7th for the May 21st service. Contact Adam at adamkentpianist@gmail.com.

Annual Giving Campaign

Last Sunday we heard from our first "Canvass Minute" speaker, Chris Kortlandt, who shared this message about our 2023 Annual Giving Campaign, Forging Ahead with Excitement and Commitment.

This year more than ever we need everyone's support because financial strength, ability to pay competitive wages, and an involved, active membership are key to attracting quality ministerial candidates. Forms are available in the lobby and on our website at www.cucwp.org/giving. If you can, please increase your pledge at least 6.5-7% to match inflation. Contact: Chris Kortlandt (treasurercuucwp@gmail.com).
Supportive Parenting for LGBTQ+ Youth
Free Live Webinar for Adults and Youth

Tue Apr 25, 5:30pm
The youth mental health crisis is especially severe for LGQTQ+ youth. While there’s a lot that needs to change at a societal level to meet these kids’ needs, support starts with parents, caregivers, and peers. 

Leading mental health clinicians and researchers will share practical advice for parents of LGBTQ+ youth and their peers. Topics will include emotional support, communication, and helping kids face challenges at school and beyond. This session is hosted by Fort Health (a mental telehealth provider for ages 4–19), the Child Mind Institute (a nonprofit focused on children’s mental health), and The Trevor Project (a nonprofit focused on preventing suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth) Register here

Tag Sale 2023

Sat Apr 29, 9:00am-3:00pm at CUUC 
Clean out those closets, basements, attics, and wherever else you store items you no longer use, and sell them at our tag sale. Limited tables available - reserve yours now! Don't need a whole table? Find a friend to share! 

Contact Nora Freeman (norafreeman777@gmail.com) or Alex Sehdeva (alex.sehdeva@gmail.com). We are also collecting donations of small furniture and appliances (small enough to fit in a sedan) for Furniture Sharehouse. Help us promote the event within your social network and communities. Click here for the tag sale flyer for buyers and the tag sale flyer for sellers to print out.

Building Beloved Community
Beyond the Binary

Sat May 6, First Unitarian Universalist Society of Syracuse, Onsite and Online
First UU Syracuse is partnering with the Q Center @ACR to offer this one day conference, with an overnight for youth. 

Registration opens at 8:30am with the keynote address at 9:00am. The keynote speaker is Andie Davis, a 17-year-old genderfluid playwright from Ontario Canada. They are writing and co-directing a documentary style play about Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’ to bring awareness to the reality of the situation that students are facing in the state. They are hoping to bring a new perspective to how social justice topics are discussed and presented by encouraging the use of art to promote social change. Several interesting workshops will be offered. To find out more, visit the BBCBB conference website. If you will attend onsite and would like lunch, reigster by May 1st. To register for the virtual conference, click here.

New Book Starting
for Children and Youth

Thu May 11, 7:30-8:30pm, Zoom-3131
Barbara continues reading each week and she's starting a new book on May 11! Children and youth will enjoy hearing Freddie the Detective by Walter Rollin Brooks. Description: The delightful detective story about the beloved animal characters on Mr. Bean’s farm. Freddy the Pig, stimulated by reading Sherlock Holmes, sets up in a business as a detective. Login: Zoom-3131. Contact: Barbara Mair, barbara.k.mair@icloud.com.

RE Update
May 21 Community Forum 

We are in a time of transition at CUUC, including in Religious Exploration (RE). Please join us Sunday, May 21st after worship for a community forum to expand the conversation about the future of RE with our greater CUUC community. Come listen and share your thoughts and vision for the future. Your participation is important! You can read about our changing context and upcoming plans here, and stay tuned for more soon.

Help enhance our festivities! If you have a photograph of Rev. Garmon to share, please email to Kim Force (kimforce@gmail.com). You can share your favorite memory at bit.ly/RevGarmonMemories. Contacts: Catherine K (catherinekortlandt@gmail.com), Emily E (emily.economou@gmail.com)
Weekly Newsletters
Stay up to date by receiving the weekly RE newsletter (sign up here; read past Issues here) and weekly CUUC e-Communitarian (sign up here; read past issues here).
Tracy Breneman, Director of Religious Exploration and Faith Development, cuucwptracy@gmail.com
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains  
468 Rosedale Ave · White Plains, NY 10605-5419







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