We have established a Zoom service tech line if you are having trouble logging into our Sunday service. If you do not get an immediate answer, leave a message and your call will be returned momentarily. Dial 484-925-1684.

Coloring Sheet: “Flowers & Chalices“, zentangle by Rev Cyn – what colors do you gravitate to when coloring this week’s sheet as you listen to the worship service? 
Craft: Flower Chain add on How To Today we are focusing on how we create and nurture beauty in our community.  Click on the link above for a how to create a flower chain to help you get ready for the craft.

Seeds, Sprouts and Saplings: *** NEW TIME THIS WEEK From 9:45 to 10:15 zoom time with Ms Jayné and Erin. 
We will get to check in and play.  One way we’ll play is to explore a “big idea” from chapter 1 of An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States – the UUA’s common read.  More info on Children’s theater, this week’s activities, and this week’s caretaker’s corner found here.
Zoom Link to be sent via Remind. Contact director.religious.education@uuberks.org if you need the info resent.

Youth Group: No Youth Group Sunday

Your assignment: think of something kind and generous you can do for your mom, your guardian, your grandmother, your mother figure…! Also don’t forget that it’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and many of you have teachers (or have parents who are teachers) that are missing you desperately. If you haven’t yet, take time to send one of them a personal note and let them know how much their hard work means to you. We will see you all soon, and GREAT JOB on your service! If you find yourself wanting an encore, the video is posted here: https://uuberks.org/services/lean-on-me-2/

WEDNESDAY
Check out this fun video to learn
how you can participate in the
newest trend sweeping the world
of UUs – #chaliceChallege 

Ritual is important for faith formation – Wednesday evening let’s light a chalice.  Here’s our chalice lighting that might work well for you:
“To this quiet place of beauty, we come from busy things Pausing for a moment for the thoughts that quiet brings.” 
or 
“We light this chalice for the warmth of love, the light of truth and the energy of action.” – Mary Ann Moore

speak the words, take one large breath in and out and then extinguish the flame.

What moments of ritual do you have in your home already? We’d love to hear email your experience to director.religious.education@uuberks.org

FRIDAY EVENING (5/15)
Special Seeds time with Ms Maria.  A time for your little one to hear a story and song or two from their Seeds teacher shared via pre-recorded video. 

Please share a picture of your animal companion(s) for our upcoming Blessing of the Animals service. The service will be held on May 17, 2020. Send your photos of cats, dogs, sheep, hamsters, rabbits, horses, turtles, goats, ducks, and more. Please email pics  to Melissa Medina, Office Administrator, at office@uuberks.org. The deadline to submit your pictures is Wednesday, May 13 at Noon.

As of June 1st Zoom will be using an updated platform Zoom 5.0. Please take a moment to update your zoom accounts. You can do so by logging in to your accounts and selecting the update link where you see”Important Notice Please begin updating all your clients to Zoom 5.0“.

Click on the link provided and you will be guided through the update.

You can also find the update by clicking on “check for updates” in the settings menu in the upper right hand corner of your screen. If you are having problems accessing the download please contact our tech support team at g.worship.tech@uuberks.org

A detailed update guide can be located at this link as well: https://zoom.us/docs/en-us/zoom-v5-0.html

FAQs about the 8th Principle

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Berks County, April 2020
Why is the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) considering the adoption of the 8th Principle now?
The most compelling reason is that members of color have asked the association to adopt the principle to commit us to take action in dismantling racism and other oppressions. Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU), the Diverse Revolutionary UU Ministries (DRUUM) and the white UU ally group Allies for Racial Equity (ARE) have long urged the UUA to adopt the 8th Principle as an explicit, renewed commitment to the work of ending white supremacy.

In 2017, the General Assembly voted to direct the UUA Board to establish a study commission to discuss adding an 8th Principle.

Don’t the present 7 Principles already cover dismantling racism?
Our existing 7 principles imply this 8th principle, but do not explicitly hold us accountable for addressing these oppressions directly, especially at the systemic level. Our Seven Principles have not been enough to prevent the cumulative impact of implicit bias over time and to de-center whiteness and other dominant cultures in UUism. Although the first principle affirms the inherent worth and dignity of every person, it does not declare action specifically to address white supremacy, racism, or other oppressions that are destructive of human worth and dignity.

Despite our best intentions, living in a racist, sexist, classist, heterosexist, ableist society has caused each of us to internalize and perpetuate systems of oppression in various ways. We are hoping adopting the 8th principle will help us consciously work to end racism and other oppressions while becoming accountable to those within our congregation who are being
oppressed.

How might the 8th Principle make white people accountable for decisions that dismantle racism?
Simply stated, white people cannot be accountable in making these decisions by themselves. The waters we swim in are saturated with white privilege and power. True accountability means white people consistently build relationships with people of color (POC). Our congregation can change culture, policies and practices by listening, educating ourselves and ensuring that actions are responsive to the well being of POC. White people will be empowered to hold one another accountable to ensure all are in learning mode about racism and repeatedly ask: “Are these actions supporting the 8th Principle concepts and has our unconscious bias interfered in any way?”

How might an 8th Principle Resolution change FUUCB’s culture and institutional practices?
The change to prioritize anti-racism in all FUUCB activities will enrich our understanding of ourselves and challenge us to better enact the other principles. It will affect our approach to social justice work and give us insight on how to solve systemic issues as a collective body. Opportunities for ‘right relationships’ will cause us to flourish spiritually and emotionally!  We will be ever open to learning what we can do better. It will bring our commitment to love higher in our consciousness, consistent with the UUA Side With Love campaign.

How is “Beloved Community” different from “a world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all”?
Beloved Community is a term first coined in the early days of the 20th century by philosopher-theologian Josiah Royce. It gained popularity through the prophetic work of Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement. Beloved Community happens when people of diverse racial, ethnic, educational, class, gender, sexual orientation backgrounds come together in an interdependent relationship of love, mutual respect, and care that seeks to realize justice within the community and in the broader world.

When we manifest the 8th Principle concepts, people of color will feel supported, important and able to fully participate in the future of our congregation. Every member will be truly welcoming to whoever comes through the door.  If our congregation is practicing the 8th Principle concepts, our members of color will feel safe and supported even when they are confronted with a microaggression. There will be a system in place to rectify these situations, and white members will be in constant learning mode to better understand and dismantle the unconscious bias in themselves and our institution.

I have issues with the wording of the proposed 8th Principle. Can we change the wording?
We are being asked to adopt the proposed wording of the principle as it stands. This is intended to show a groundswell of unified support for the 8th Principle from many congregations. There will likely be opportunities for GA delegates to change the wording as it moves through the UUA process before it is voted on at a General Assembly (GA). Because questions about the wording of the final principle will be deferred to the GA, we can focus on what the principle asks of us to do.

Why is it important for the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Berks County (FUUCB) to adopt the 8th Principle?
The time needed for the UUA to fully adopt the resolution could be reduced by a strong show of support from individual congregations. We would be adding our voice to congregations that have adopted it, including All Souls Unitarian in Washington, DC, First UU Church of Richmond, the UU Church of Annapolis, UU Church of Honolulu, Unitarian Society of Germantown, and UU Church of the Restoration in Philadelphia.

Adopting the principle at FUUBC would represent an important step in our ongoing journey toward wholeness and to dismantle racism in our own congregation.

The pandemic is affecting us all in a variety of ways and, for some, the effects include feelings of isolation, boredom, and stress. Having a good conversation partner can help ease those stressors. Our church, through the Caring Circle, is coordinating regular conversation partners to build connection and offer companionship. Conversation partners will touch base regularly (by phone, email or regular mail) and provide a space to exchange stories, gratitudes, and sorrows.

If you are interested or want to learn more, please contact Rev. Sandra at minister@uuberks.org or the Caring Circle at g.caring.circle@uuberks.org.

Attend the 8^th Principle Listening Café on Sunday May 3 to learn about the 8^th Principle in preparation for voting to adopt it during the Congregational Meeting on May 17^th.  The Listening Café will be held virtually at 12pm. (see above post for details)

Berks Encore – needs volunteers to grocery shop for folks (age 50+) who can’t do their own shopping.  Nadine Smet-Weiss (484-333-4015; njw1258@hotmail.com) will be happy to share her experience of doing this for two clients;

Berks Encore – also operates the Meals on Wheels program.  Contact them to see if they need drivers;

Donate meal(s) or grocery money for two families living in the Family Promise Day Center.  Contact Carla Mannix (610-301-4522)

Join g.immigration.justice@uuberks.org for updates and actions re: Shut Down Berks.  Contact Tonya Wenger (tlwenger73@gmail.com)

Join a Virtual Sewing Circle to make masks and PPE gowns; or donate money for fabric.  If interested, contact Ginny Chudgar (610-678-8599; 610-223-8240 [text]; ginny.chudgar@gmail.com).

The Social Justice Coordinating Team is pleased to announce that FUUBC has received a grant of $900 from the Berks County Community Foundation to support our social justice work.

The Berks Family Detention Center is not protecting detained immigrant families from the coronavirus and is not testing families or staff for COVID-19. As documented in a new lawsuit filed against the state, the family prison is not providing adequate personal protective equipment, or sanitizing surfaces in common areas. Most importantly, social distancing under CDC guidelines is impossible for families detained in an enclosed congregate setting with shared bathrooms and communal eating and sleeping areas.

A documented history of medical neglect at the family prison heightens the risk that children and parents who fall ill will not receive life saving medical treatment. Families typically have sponsors they can stay with instead. #ShutDownBerks#FreeThemAll

Please sign this petition to
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/ceab1d144f30b3ada8f63823912d21076e74fd1a?hash=994773cf97aeba41e026e24ab9a5db54

Contact Tonya Wenger tlwenger73@gmail.com if you have questions or if you want to get involved in FUUBC s’ immigration/detention center work.

• You can now give online on our website UUberks.org by clicking on the online giving tab or clicking
  here
• You can also give by downloading the GivePlus app on google play and the App store below. You can easily locate our church by zip code 19602

In response to Covid-19, UU Berks is establishing a “Covid-19 community response fund” as a sub-category of the existing Minister’s Discretionary Fund (MDF). Donations to the “Covid-19 community response fund” will be used to fill critical gaps in the lives of individuals and families in Reading and Berks County that are the result of Covid-19.

Assistance may include one-time payments of phone, gas, electric, rent, or mortgage expenses resulting from lost wages or other Covid-19 related impacts. Recipients will be church members and friends or individuals and families referred by church members. Contributions may be made by check to First UU Church of Berks County (FUUBC). Write “Covid-19 MDF” on the memo line.

You may also make a contribution to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund for the ongoing hardships affecting church members and friends by sending a check to FUUBC and writing “MDF” on the memo line. Contact Melissa Medina, office administrator, at office@uuberks.org or Rev. Dr. Sandra Fees at minister@uuberks.org if you have questions.

General Assembly, the annual conference that gathers thousands of Unitarian Universalists, is a tradition beloved by many. It is a time of celebratory reunion, participatory governance, and leadership development.

In May, our congregation will be voting on whether to adopt the 8th Principle to ground and guide our work toward building the Beloved Community. You can learn more here

Are you experiencing financial or grocery needs? The church community can provide a box of dry-goods groceries on a Thursday for pick up at the church or grocery cards to shop at Giant or Weis. For assistance with these or other needs, please contact by email Rev.Dr. Sandra Fees or the church office. You may call the church office at 610-372-0928 or email office@uuberks.org

Let’s ensure that we can all vote during the Pennsylvania primary on April 28 by applying now for a mail in or absentee ballot. You can check your voter registration status and apply for a mail in or absentee ballot here

Dear Members and Friends,

Threshold moments are a part of daily life, present in every day and hour, but they are made more pronounced when calamity or disaster strikes. Right now, we seem poised at a threshold. But of what? And how shall we move toward this threshold? How shall we cross it?

Threshold moments invite us into discernment where we ask such questions, where we reflect on what it means to move forward in the right way. Threshold moments ask us to imagine a new way and a new self. The threshold moments we are encountering collectively and individually as a result of the global pandemic are urging us to move and push. There is an urgency to aid those who are ill, to feed those who are hungry, to find a vaccine, to do our part in easing the suffering in the world. Our Social Justice Team has identified a number of pandemic-oriented volunteer opportunities our community can collectively engage to ease suffering, which are included in this month’s news. You can learn about them here.

Even as we are called to take action, threshold moments also require space – space to sit and cultivate. As Rev. Sara LaWall says, they “allow you space and time to reflect on your past, present, and future. To imagine a new beginning.”

Each of us needs to act and also to allow ourselves some space, to give ourselves some time. My wish for each of you is that you will allow yourselves space and time in which to reflect on how you are moving toward this threshold moment, toward these threshold moments, and how you are crossing them in these unscripted days.

Yours in a spirit of spaciousness and compassion,

Rev. Dr. Sandra Fees

In the Threshold

For the past month each Wednesday night at choir we’ve been ending our gatherings with a chalice lighting and check in.  It’s a verbal threshold that we create together. This moment to light a chalice marks our transition from singing and listening and breathing together to being apart for the week.  We use a song to frame our chalice lighting.  It’s a different song each week.  I thought I could share one song with you for this month’s musings on what it means to live in threshold moments.

Hymn #352, “Find a Stillness” has lyrics by Carl Seaburg and is set to a Transylvanian folk tune.

Find a stillness, hold a stillness, let the stillness carry me.

Find the silence, hold the silence, let the silence carry me.

In the spirit, by the spirit, with the spirit giving power,

I will find true harmony.

Seek the essence, hold the essence, let the essence carry me.

Let me flower, help me flower, watch me flower, carry me.

In the spirit, by the spirit, with the spirit giving power,

I will find true harmony.

Seaburg’s lyrics hold an invitation Find a _____, hold the _______, let the ______ carry me.

In this threshold moment

What are you finding?

What are you holding onto?

What are you letting carry you?

In Harmony,

Ebee

In April I highlighted the #chalicechallenge I hope you had fun making your own chalice or you look forward to making one soon. This month of May we’re exploring how we can become “a People of Thresholds.” And a threshold is just a place between two things. When we pass through a threshold, a doorway we have to look around and see the new space we’re in. So we’re going to look around this month. Look around for a #chaliceoftheday

I’ve been following UU, Andrea Lerner and her #chaliceoftheday project for a few years now.  It’s a neat project to connect me to the symbol of our Unitarian Universalist Faith.  It’s the cup that holds the light of love, truth, grace, and justice.  The #chaliceoftheday let’s us be reminded that we choose to carry that light no matter what thresholds we move between.

So Take some time to notice chalices in everyday items and nature all around you. Here are a few from the project to get you started:

Bread from Lisa Bovee-Kemper

all we have

by nadine smet-weiss
Spiritual Director

now

is

all

we

have

blessed

moment

full

presence

breath

birthing

life

through

us

now

RE Kids Hangout

Sun, May 10, 9:45 AM

ADORE Listening Cafe

Sun, May 10, 8:00 PM

Choir Rehearsal

Wed, May 13, 7:00 PM

Congregational Meeting

Sun, May 17, 11:45 AM

RE Kids Hangout

Sun, May 17, 12:00 PM

Choir Rehearsal

Wed, May 20, 7:00 PM