[CoC] Fwd: Fall 2020 Newsletter

Sun Nov 29 20:35:48 CST 2020

An example of a recent past Quarterly Newsletter -- this one from this
year, Fall 2020:

Fall 2020 News for the Unitarian Church of Montpelier

*Message from the Minister - Rev. Joan Javier-Duval*

*Listen to Rev. Joan read this message.
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=82bba92cbb&e=5e9e4f6ef5>*

Dear UCM members and friends,

As we return to our shared life of spiritual community to begin this
2020-2021 church year, our lives are marked by uncertainty and this coming
year will be like any other this community has shared. There is no getting
around this. But, there is getting through it.

We are all part of a long line of ancestors who have gotten through and
made meaning with one another in this basic human endeavor of living
through the joys and sorrows of our days - sometimes through very difficult
days.

As we get through these days of turmoil and uncertainty, we bind together
yet again in a community of shared commitments and values. We reach out for
connection and deepening of relationship. We encourage one another in the
practices that keep us grounded and centered and that can anchor us when
most everything feels adrift.

Continue reading ......
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=b4d079e654&e=5e9e4f6ef5>

------------------------------

*Message from the Board*

Dear UCM Members and Friends,

We, the UCM Governing Board, hope you all had as good a summer as could be
expected in these difficult and tumultuous times. We are very excited to
start the new church year and get back to connecting through our online
Sunday services and virtual coffee hours! In case you haven’t yet heard,
the Board and the Executive Team (ET), with the guidance of the Covid-19
Task Force, have formally decided that *we will not have any in-person
services until at least January 2021. *

The Board held its annual retreat on August 15. It was a productive day of
discussion and connection . . . . . .

Continue reading ......
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=b321ca628f&e=5e9e4f6ef5>

------------------------------
*Message from the Executive Team (ET)*

Dear UCM members and friends,

We are eager to start our 2020-2021 church year with all of you and hope
that you had a chance for some relaxation and fun over the summer months.

Your Executive Team (ET) manages the day-to-day operations of the church.
We took a break from meeting during the month of July and are now fully
immersed once again in handling the operational matters of our congregation.

 We want to share with you a few important updates . . .

Continue reading ......
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=baccd24706&e=5e9e4f6ef5>
*UCM Announcements - Fall 2020*
*Worship*
*Ingathering Sunday - Water Ceremony* *Sunday, September 13, 2020 - 10AM
(online)*

On Sunday, September 13, we will gather once again as a whole church
community into our shared life of worship and spiritual practice. We resume
our virtual services as we continue to live with the presence of Covid-19
and the need for physical distancing. Though we gather from different
places, we join together on this Ingathering Sunday to reconnect with one
another and to honor the role of water in our lives in our annual Water
Ceremony.

To participate in this service, you are invited to have a vessel of water
near you during the service. The water can come from a source with personal
meaning to you (or be symbolic of this place). You can also send in a
"selfie" photo or short video (5-10 seconds) of yourself with your water or
near the source of the water to be included in the service. In your brief
video, state the name of the source of your water, for example, “Waters of
Curtis Pond.” Send submissions to ucm.worship.arts at gmail.com by Friday,
September 11.

Zoom link for worship:
https://zoom.us/j/91253504912?pwd=NkVOVWVaOGtqbVJsOHZ0bTBTUnRaUT09
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=2a8e8ef3d1&e=5e9e4f6ef5>

Or, dial (929) 436-2866, Meeting ID: 912 5350 4912, Passcode: 37861.
Click here to join Worship Service
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=144b221cdd&e=5e9e4f6ef5>
*Mindful Water Path Installation*

You are also invited to go to the church grounds to participate in the
“Mindful Water Path,” anytime from Thursday, September 10 through Sunday,
September 13. The water path will share readings for meditation and
stations at which you can choose to share your water. If you'd like to have
your photo or video taken at church with your water for inclusion in the
Sunday service, please contact Rev. Joan to arrange a time on Thursday or
Friday to meet up, ucm.revjoan at gmail.com.
*Introducing our Ministerial Intern*
In mid-August, we welcomed a Ministerial Intern to UCM. Verdis L. Robinson
(He/Him) is the Lenora Montgomery Scholar of Excellence at Meadville
Lombard Theological School in Chicago, where he is an Aspirant for the
Unitarian Universalist ministry, and a candidate for a Master of Divinity.

Formerly, Verdis served as the director for community college engagement at
Campus Compact and the national director for The Democracy Commitment.
Prior to leading community college civic engagement nationally, he was a
tenured assistant professor of history and African American studies at
Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York.

Verdis holds a BM in voice performance from Boston University, a BS cum
laude and an MA in history from SUNY College at Brockport, and an MA in
African American studies from SUNY University at Buffalo. *You will have a
chance to formally welcome Verdis to UCM during our September 13 worship
service.*
*Lifespan Spiritual Exploration (LSE)*
LSE Updates - Fall 2020

Launching our LSE program during an extended pandemic feels a little bit
like trying to recreate a dish you love without the familiar ingredients,
and without a recipe! Thankfully, conversations with many of you around
town or on the phone this summer, along with a survey of UCM families, have
helped distinguish the key components for success. We are eager to
experiment! Details will be in the weekly e-news and on our newly revised
web page
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=9afb79dd9c&e=5e9e4f6ef5>
.

Highlights below:

*Families: *UCM families are exhausted and balancing so much and even so,
seek support cultivating UU values in their kids/youth. We love and want to
support our families!

We made over 50 care packages for families and are still in process of
delivering them. Let us know if we missed you! We're hearing clearly a
request for socially distanced activities like an Outdoor Children's Chapel
time for families to connect more deeply with ourselves, one another, and
nature. Families also want to engage in service projects. We'll also try
out a twice-monthly pre-worship Children's Chapel on Zoom, with a focus on
connecting, mindfulness, fun, and our UU values in action.

To allow time for other program coordinating, the Story for All Ages will
return to the traditional rhythm of twice monthly instead of weekly. Liza
is hoping to try out an outdoor, socially-distanced story time for young
children mid-week in the church yard.

All in-person activities will be outside and following the brand-new Covid
Guidelines created by the UCM Covid Task Force
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=6ceea1d925&e=5e9e4f6ef5>
.

*Youth:* In addition to service projects, we'll have some sessions of
outdoor games in Hubbard Park. If we can find volunteer leaders, we hope to
launch a middle school anti-racism curriculum in Nov. or January. We're in
the process of modifying the Coming of Age program for 8th-9th graders,
hopefully to start late fall, with a culminating spring camping retreat and
worship service.

H.S. Youth Group will connect twice monthly through both online and
in-person activities and service projects. Bridging of high school seniors
will begin as usual in the winter, though likely online.

*Adults: *Anti-racism work can be a deeply spiritual endeavor and we're
thrilled to collaborate with Beloved Conversations as a way for you to
begin or continue that work this fall. We have been wanting to participate
in this program for a long while and the events of this spring and summer
make it more clear than ever why each one of us needs to engage in this
work.

UCM is joining the 200 congregations -- mostly UU -- that have participated
in Beloved Conversations over the past ten years. Learn more here
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=88e272dbdb&e=5e9e4f6ef5>
and then pre-register by Sept. 15th for a discounted UCM group rate here
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=c9525d0d3a&e=5e9e4f6ef5>.
Financial assistance available -- requests
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=17a312c8ba&e=5e9e4f6ef5>
due by Sept. 11th. *We're over halfway to our goal of 30 committed
participants from UCM.  Join us!*

We are seeking facilitators to help launch Chalice Circles
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=c077e86967&e=5e9e4f6ef5>
at different points in the church year. These include Seasoned Souls, Small
Group Ministry (SGM), and Soul Matters. We are considering a SGM especially
for parents. Although primarily online still, people are astonished at the
level of deep listening and close bonds that can form in these small
groups! Sign-ups will be in the weekly e-news for groups starting up in
October.

Watch the weekly e-news for details on these and other ideas. Please reach
out if you'd like to help give wings to any of these ideas. We'll try
things out for the fall, and adapt the recipe as we go!
*UCM Committee Updates*
*Communications Team *

UCM's Communications Team has been hard at work through the spring and
summer months, updating our website - http://www.ucmvt.org
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=37e72257a5&e=5e9e4f6ef5>
- and creating a Unitarian Church of Montpelier YouTube
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=6c6f1cb156&e=5e9e4f6ef5>
channel
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=5b6f85e40c&e=5e9e4f6ef5>!
Check out both, bookmark them, and subscribe, to stay connected with
everything happening at UCM this church year. Also, find us on our public
Facebook Page (Unitarian Church of Montpelier)
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=e419701cd9&e=5e9e4f6ef5>
and our private Facebook Group (Friends of UCM
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=deb4b3b5a4&e=5e9e4f6ef5>).
Stay in touch!

*Membership & Hospitality*

If you are a newcomer and/or recent visitor to UCM, welcome! We would love
for you to learn more about who we are and what we are all about, by
checking out our new *Five Pathways to Membership* program -- watch an
introductory video here
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=c5400a1329&e=5e9e4f6ef5>,
and read more on our website, here
<https://ucmvt.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=40d52449ed4f4a7f7c42bb657&id=52f0d3921e&e=5e9e4f6ef5>.
This is also an excellent resource for long-time friends of our
congregation, who are considering becoming official UCM Members. If you
have any questions, or would just like to have a more in-depth conversation
about Membership, contact Congregational Life Coordinator, Elaine Ball, at
ucm.membership at gmail.com.

Our first-ever virtual *New Member Sunday will be on Sunday, October 4 at
10:00 a.m. on Zoom,* and you are invited! If you have recently signed the
Membership Book, we invite you to participate in this welcoming service.
Please submit a brief bio and a few photos of yourself for us to share as
we welcome you into our beloved community -- ucm.membership at gmail.com.

*Hospitality is an All-Church Ministry!* This church year will be unique in
both challenging and exciting ways. Our familiar in-person Worship Services
and Coffee Hours won't be held in the building for the foreseeable future,
which means that our beloved Hospitality Volunteers won't be serving each
week as Baristas, Elevator Operators, Greeters, Kids' Snack Table Hosts,
and Ushers ... but, *we still need your help! *Especially during this time
of online services, we need virtual Greeters to help us welcome friends,
members, newcomers, and visitors on Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook. *Contact
our Membership & Hospitality Committee Chair, Barbara Thompson
(tducksoup at gmail.com <tducksoup at gmail.com>), if you are available and
interested in volunteering this year!*
Rev. Maggie Rebmann and Ted Schulthesis update UCM's Wayside Pulpit --
"Because I have been athirst, I will dig a well that others may drink."
Happiness Guru and UCM Member, Ginny Sassaman, leads twice-weekly guided
meditation sessions on Zoom -- contact Ginny (HappinessParadigm at gmail.com)
to join on Tuesday evenings and/or Saturday mornings.
view this email in your browser
<https://mailchi.mp/8e2b9befd4bf/fall-2020-newsletter?e=5e9e4f6ef5>
*Copyright © *September 2020* *Unitarian Church of Montpelier* All rights
reserved.*

*Our mailing address is:*
*130 Main Street | Montpelier, VT 05602*

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Unitarian Church of Montpelier · 130 Main Street · Montpelier, Vermont
05602 · USA

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