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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%">Happy New Year,
Social Justice advocates!</p>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><i><span style="background:transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%">The
arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice</span></i></p>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><span style="font-style:normal">It
can feel a little like we are swinging too wide and too wild on the
arc of justice. </span><span style="font-style:normal">Sometimes I
wonder if we are going to f</span><span style="font-style:normal">ly</span><span style="font-style:normal">
off completely. </span><span style="font-style:normal">Then, love
grounds me, again.</span></p>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><b>Ongoing and
Upcoming Events and Opportunities</b></p>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><strong>UCM Warming
Shelter </strong><strong>- </strong>On Thursday evenings from 5:00pm
until 8:00pm as a warming shelter for homeless community members.
Those willing to volunteer can sign up to bring food and or
participate in setup, assisting guests, and cleanup. Setup will begin
at 4:30pm and will include setting up tables and chairs, making
coffee, and setting out plates and utensils. The shelter will be open
from December through early April. UCM contact: Peter
Thoms<br>
<a href="https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=85c4688b79&e=92ba8d7e33" target="_blank"><font color="#111111"><u><span style="font-weight:normal">https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0549a9ad29a4fb6-thursday</span></u></font></a><br>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><b>UCM Community
Lunch – Mondays</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"> Volunteer:
<font color="#111111"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-weight:normal"><a href="http://signup.com/go/FG1SJm">http://signup.com/go/FG1SJm</a>
</span></span></font>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><font color="#111111"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-weight:normal"> UCM
C</span></span></font><span style="text-decoration:none">ont</span>act:
Emily Seifert : <a href="mailto:ucm.communitylunch@gmail.com" target="_blank"><font color="#111111"><u><span style="font-weight:normal">ucm.communitylunch@gmail.com</span></u></font></a>
</p>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><strong>Montpelier
Food Pantry</strong> – Leave donations at UCM on Sundays. Needed
items: ravioli, pasta Sauce, progresso soups, fruit/applesauce,
toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo.</p>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><b>SPUDS Projects–
</b><span style="font-weight:normal">Monthly. UCM Contact: </span>Nancy
Schulz: <a href="mailto:saddleshoes2@gmail.com" target="_blank"><font color="#111111"><u><span style="font-weight:normal">saddleshoes2@gmail.com</span></u></font></a>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><b>Monday, Jan 15:</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"> After Community
Lunch: (1-4PM) AmeriCorps MLK Day of Service and Community Dialogue</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"> </p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><strong>Sat. Feb.
9th</strong></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><strong><span style="font-weight:normal">White
Privilege & Critical Humility Workshop</span></strong></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><strong><span style="font-weight:normal">9:30am
- 3:30pm</span></strong></p>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><strong>Feb. 16th
and 23rd</strong></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><strong><span style="font-weight:normal">Active
Listening Workshop</span></strong></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><strong><span style="font-weight:normal">11am
- 1:30pm</span></strong></p>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%">In December, some of
us at church had the privilege to hear Elsa Englstrom speak about her
work with No Más
Muertes (No More Deaths) in Arizona. No More Deaths distributes
water and other life-saving supplies in the West Desert, a
particularly dangerous migrant corridor on the US-Mexico
border. The
humanitarian aid that No More Deaths has provided since 2004 has
become increasingly criminalized under the current US administration,
leading to arrests of volunteers (charges
include “felony harboring”).
The organization also provides free legal services, medical aid and
support for the borderlands community, as
well as documenting US border patrol abuse.
No More Deaths operates as one of the only humanitarian aid
organizations on the US-Mexico border and is a mission of the UU
Church of Tucson.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%">For
More Information:</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><a href="http://www.nomoredeaths.org/">www.nomoredeaths.org</a></p>
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<br>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><span style="background:transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%"><span style="text-decoration:none">“<i>We
Are Not the Resistance” </i></span><span style="text-decoration:none">Michelle
Alexander </span></span>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><span style="background:transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%">Although
“Resist!” has become
a rallying cry recently, this author argues that recent
regressive policies are
themselves the resistance to a country that is becoming more free and
fair. In no way meant to
diminish the harm that these policies cause, this article offers a
vision of the future that is less… apocalyptic (which is how it
looks to me on really bad days).</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><span style="background:transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/21/opinion/sunday/resistance-kavanaugh-trump-protest.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/21/opinion/sunday/resistance-kavanaugh-trump-protest.html</a></span></p>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"><i>Take care of each
other </i><i>& Take care of yourself</i></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%">I feel like a real
Millennial by extolling the benefits of “self-care” but it’s
part of our spiritual practice to tend to our inner flames while we
work toward justice and self-determination for all people. If that
means bubble baths to calm our nerves, let the <b>gift</b> of hot,
clean water rejuvenate us!
</p>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%">Social
Responsibility Meetings</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%">In the remaining
meetings of this church year, I hope that we will continue to share
our social justice work, feed our enthusiasm and explore the ways we
are called to participate.
</p>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%">Join us at 12:15 in
the Fireplace room on:</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%">Jan 27</p><p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"> Feb 24</p><p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"> Mar
24 <br></p><p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"> April 28</p><p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%"> May 26</p>
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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%">Thanks and Peace,</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%">Ansel Ploog</p>
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