Each year we look at the financial support as one aspect that keeps the congregation thriving.  This year the theme of Pledge Drive is “It’s all of us” and after a great service (right?!?) stay for the Stewardship season kickoff event.

To attend on site, FULL VACCINATION STRONGLY RECOMMENDED: FUUBC strongly encourages all those who can be vaccinated to be vaccinated, including boosters as appropriate.

MASKING RECOMMENDED: FUUBC strongly encourages attendees at worship
services and other large gatherings to wear masks.

To attend by Zoom, click on this link: uuberks.org/zoom-worship. (If this is the first time
you’re using zoom, you may be prompted to download a launcher app).

To connect by phone (audio only):
1) Dial the phone number: 1-646-558-8656
2) When prompted for the “Meeting ID”, enter: 921 4271 5512#
3) When prompted for the “Participant ID”, enter: #

Please plan to arrive or log on by 10:20-10:25 am to enjoy the gathering music, and,
for those on zoom, to establish a connection before worship is scheduled
begins. Zoom participant mics are muted throughout the service.

Join us on Monday 3/6 @ 7:00pm via zoom when we will gather for contemplative reflection and sharing around this month’s theme of vulnerability. For further information, including the zoom link, contact Nadine.

Valentine’s Month. We are wearing our hearts on our sleeves, pants, hoodies, socks, winter wear, boots, shoes, anything adults or children don. Keep this in mind as you sort through your closets and bins. Our collections will go to Hope Rescue Mission and Lighthouse to help housing compromised women, men and children in our own local community.
While this is not a Shared Plate commitment, Lighthouse and Hope Rescue Mission asked for our help in caring for unhoused children, women, and men in our own local community. Clothing can be left in the marked bins in the Gerber room.

FUUBC is part of the Giant charitable grocery scrip program that gives 10% of all gift cards sold back to our church. You can purchase cards as needed or sign up for a monthly gift card order that will be sent directly to your home the first week of each month.

When you receive your order you will also receive a return envelope to mail your check to the church. Checks can also be dropped in the Gerber room drop box or in the plate collection. Checks should be made out to FUUBC with giant card in the memo line.

If you would like to purchase Giant cards please return the form below to Melissa at office@uuberks.org. One time cards can also be purchased from Melissa at coffee hour twice a month.

Giant cards are available in $50 and $100 increments.

Giant Card Form

Mark your calendars: Our FUUBC 2023 Service Auction is on Saturday, April 1st.  This year, the live auction is an in-person event!!! But just like last year, we will be using the Auctria website to host the silent auctions. Watch the Univoice for more details in the coming weeks.

Here is the link to the auction website: https://uuberks.org/service-auction

We are currently taking donations for the auction: service auctions only work if there are items to bid on and people participate. If you click on the link above, you will be taken to our auction website. Once the home page loads, you will see a menu across the top of the page (look for the line with “Home”, “Donation Ideas”, “Donate an Item”,…).  To make a donation, click on the “Item Donations” link on the menu and a new page will open. The top of the page has a list of people that have made a donation. If you scroll down the page a bit, you will see the donation form.

On the first page of the form, you can enter the title for your donation (example: “1 hour of weeding”), a short description and some other details about the donation. Notice the red asterisks next to the title entry field: the asterisks signifies that the field cannot be empty. On the first page, the “Title” is the only required field.

When you click on the “Continue to item images” button at the bottom of the form, you will be taken to a page where you can upload a picture of your donation. Click on the “select files to upload” link in the middle of the page to add a photo from your computer. We will use the photo in the catalog to help advertise your item.  Photos are optional: you do not have to perform this step.

When you are ready to move onto the next page, click on the “Continue to donor details” button on the bottom of the page and the donor detail page will open. There are only 2 required fields on this page: your name and your email address. You may want to also include your home address information just in case you purchase something at the auction that will be delivered.

Click on the “submit donation” button at the bottom of the page to submit your complete donation. A short time later a member of the Service Auction Committee will review your donation and send you a confirmation email. If you would like to donate an additional item, click on the “Donate another item” button on the bottom of this page: you will be taken back to the first page of the donation form.

Finally, the auction needs you! This is your time to share items to bid on and join in to make it happen.  Find an area where you can help and sign up here:  UU Church Service Auction Helpers – April 1, 2023  Questions and suggestions? Email g.service.auction@uuberks.org   Let’s make this another great auction!

Are you curious what it would be like to be with UUs from all over the country and continent, right in our backyard?   Make sure to register for General Assembly happening this June from the 21st – 25th!  You can register for a day, a few days or full meeting.  Registration prices for onsite and online participation increase starting March 1st.  Check out https://www.uua.org/ga for more information.

Solar Panel System

Dave Wentzel and Frank Wilder had a meeting with the City of Reading’s One Stop committee on Feb 9th. These are Zoom meetings on Thursday mornings where you can meet with all the building related departments at the same time. We mainly wanted to meet with them to make sure we don’t have to worry about any Reading Historic District concerns. Here is a short summary of what we learned:

• Zoning – No issues for zoning; a Zoning permit will be required
• Planning – The project does not trigger Land Development
• Historic – Though not in an historic district, please take care with mounting the array on historical buildings and do so as discreetly as possible.
• Building – Signed and sealed plans are required for building, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems.  The professionals completing this work need to be licensed with the City of Reading.  Permitting will be required through the Building & Trades department.
• Fire & Safety – No issues at this time.  The installation company will know to match NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards.We don’t.  I attached the meeting summary provided by the city.

We shared the details with our solar installer Solar States. They were happy to hear that we don’t have to get permits from the Historic department: they can be challenging when you are adding current day technology to a historic building and have concerns about aesthetics.  We should have a set of engineering drawings for the project in the next few weeks. If you have any questions, send us an email at g.solar.team@uuberks.org.  Watch the Univoice for updates.

The Solar Project Team

Our theme is love. Even though February is all about hearts and Valentines Day,the love on my mind is not flowery or romantic. The love on my mind is an action more than a feeling, and sometimes it looks more like hard work than pleasure.

When we say to someone dear, “I love you” it is not just a feeling, it is a statement of intention. When I tell one of my kids that I love them, it also means that I extend that love unconditionally, that sometimes I will push them into discomfort for a greater good, and that I will fight adversity for them or with them, because of my love for them. It is an action word.

Around this congregation that is so well loved, what are some of the love actions you see or know about? What active ways do you love UU Berks? Certainly the Building Keepers love the building. One might not equate love with using tools or free time to make an edifice safe and beautiful and fuel efficient, but love is  an action word there.

Serving on a committee or board, leading kids or adults during RE, signing up to help with worship or coffee hour, and so many other ways to show up; these are gifts we give to our congregation so that we  might belong to the church of our dreams and wishes. Being involved is a commitment of love, to ourselves and to each other. Our feelings of love compel us to action, which strengthen community.

When we say, Love wins, that is what is meant. Actions done from a place of love will always be a win/win situation, not part of a zero sum game where if somebody is being loved it means somebody else is not. Love grows the more it gets used; it is not a limited commodity that should be hoarded.

Whether in your personal life, or at church, or wherever you find yourself in February, show yourself some  care by expressing your love freely, through actions.

Love wins and so do we when we let it grow.

In peace with love,
Rev. Amy

Have you ever been gifted or have you ever gifted to someone a playlist?  Was it to give to a new love?  Was it to share with an old friend?  Was it to help you mark a season of life?

Whether it was through 8-track, tape, cd, or digital link – I bet in whatever format it was created,  it was created from love.

As we live into this month of exploring “the path of love”, I’m reflecting on how throughout time, one of the roles music has played is to capture great emotions and actions like love.

For as J.D. McClatchy said “Love is the quality of attention we pay to things”

It takes some attention to choose songs and to listen closely to what someone has shared with you.

I’m curious what your mixtape of your relationship with Unitarian Universalism would be.  What’s the first song that you remember?  What song makes you think of UUism?

Here’s a sample from mine:

• #188 Come, Come, Whoever You Are
• #396 I Know This Rose Will Open
• Beth Norton’s “There Is A Love”
• #123 Spirit of Life
• Meg Barnhouse’s “All Will Be Well”
• #311 Let It Be A Dance
• Barenaked Ladies’ “If I Had A Million Dollars” (were you here for the service in Dec where we sang this?)
• #1064 Blue Boat Home
• #95 There Is More Love
• #1009 Meditation on Breathing

Way too many left on the cutting room floor for this list of 10.  Share with me – what would make it on your list this year?

by nadine j. smet-weiss
spiritual director

to thine
own self
be love
what part
you wonder
i have
so many
parts
be love
to that
which
you
find
most
unlovable
in you
and
from that
place
of loving
that part
of you
be love
in
the world