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Weekly News for the week of:
September 17, 2023
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It is time to admit that summer is over and that the regular school/church year has begun! Rather than grieve the end of summer, let it be a dance that lifts up and celebrates what our Lifetime Religious Education program will be!
Saturday!
This Weekend:
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This month’s story is The Cracked Pot, a wisdom tale from India.
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Our theme this month is the Gift of Welcome. Explore this through a story that gives us an example of welcoming things just as they are and how nourishment comes from many sources and places.
SUNDAY
9:45 AM : Adult RE
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In Person: back of chalice house
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Faith Formation in August: we’ll discuss the 1980’s and ’90’s movement of male self-study and its spread from academia, and how and by whom the term “Toxic Masculinity” was coined.
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One of the goals of the Adult RE program is to get to know each other better. What fascinating people sit around our table and how much we have to learn from each other. There’s a place for you at our table.
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email Ginny Chudgar for more info (see directory for address)
9:45 AM:Children’s RE: The Gifts of Our Faith – 2 classes
Elementary Ages: Onsite/Online, email Ebee Bromley by Saturday noon if you’ll be attending online
10:30- Worship Service- All Ages
We meet together to sing, to reflect, and to explore our world.
10:45 – 11:45 Youth Group:
Grades 7th – 12: First session of the year! Building your own Spiritual Toolbox with Joanna Groebel and Ryan Spengler
Monday – Thursday
Weekly posts on our covenanted RE Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/UUBerks.RE.page/?ref=share
check out our Remind classroom.
If you need to signup link here: remind.com/join/refuucbc
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Sunday Volunteers:Greeters: Dennis W. & Liz E. Ushers: Joanne K. Coffee Crew: Scott G. 
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Hello UU Berks! The final date to do the Ministerial Search Committee Survey is this Sunday, 9/17/23. The final date to return a paper copy (which are available where you are greeted at church) is this day as well. May all of your good input be included!
Congregational Survey
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| Please Give Us Your Clothes!!!!
(Well, not the ones you are wearing…) those that you no longer need, and wish to recycle back into our local community for good! This will help to sustain the children, women and men of the Hope Rescue Mission shelter communities!
Through the month of September, we will be collecting your gently used clothing in the Gerber Room. At the end of the month, we will deliver them to help Hope Rescue MIssion. This is a great opportunity to practice recycling what still has valuable use, right back into our Reading community to share with our local brothers and sister. Please be sure that clothing is clean and in good repair.
Any questions, please ask Be Y. or Lauren F.
Thank you for your kindness!!
Your Social Justice Committee
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| 275th Anniversary Historic Church Walking Tour
This year is the City of Reading’s ‘bicenterquasquigenary’ – or 275th anniversary. As part of the celebration there will be a self-guided Historic Church Walk on Saturday, September 16th from 1-4 PM. Our church is on the tour!
We need your help!
- On Saturday, September 16th, we need a few volunteers to help answer questions and keep an eye on visitors during the tour.
Sign up here to volunteer for either or both days. https://uuberks.org/275_church_walk
Thank you for your support
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| Tour de PAC Cyclists at Our Church
On Monday, September 25th, we will be hosting cyclists from Tour de PAC, a bike tour that travels from frontline community to frontline community to collect testimony from people impacted by climate change. Their final stop will be the Pennsylvania Climate Convergence in Harrisburg on October 1st .If you are a cyclist and would like to participate in the ride to their next stop in Pottstown, let me know.
We will be having a potluck dinner with the cyclists at 6PM, followed by an ad hoc discussion. Everyone is invited! If you are able to attend, please sign up in the Dish to Share section of the signup sheet. Questions and concerns can be forwarded to Frank W. at frank.wilder@uuberks.org. We hope to see you there.
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A Friend In Need
Adanjesus Marin, a lifelong activist, was the lead organizer for Make The Road in Reading. He worked closely with our congregation when we were supporting MTR on a variety of issues ranging from a municipal ID and driver’s licenses for people without papers to the initial organizing efforts at closing the detention center. He was a frequent speaker at our anti-racism trainings and workshops. He accompanied Tonya Wenger and me to the General Assembly in 2018 in Kansas City to speak on a panel about the importance of white allies following the leadership of people of color on issues that involved their communities.
Here is a recent message from Adanjesus,,,
“I need to ask for one more push for solidarity from the UU folks- but it goes with the good news. My disability was finally approved, but I won’t get my first payment till mid-October and then still have to fight for the backpay. My payments will be enough to cover my expenses, so it’s a huge blessing. It’s just that till then I only have -$100 in the bank”
Cashapp: $Adanjesusmarin
Paypal: tinyurl.com/Donate4Adanjesus
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| Social Justice Opportunities for Connection & Information
Mike and I have been members since 2004. As we prepare to go to General Assembly for the first time, we are learning about our extended UUA family. Here are some nuggets of knowledge that Randy and Carol opened our eyes to: First UU is in the Central East Region (CER) and our primary contact is Lenore Bajare-Dukes (she/her).Sign up for their Opportunities for Connection monthly newsletter to learn about events and programs on https://www.uua.org/central-east/blog
UU JusticePA is our legislative lobbying group that fights for policies and structural change. Sign up for one of their Justice Teams and talk to Carol Orts about their monthly calls that empower you to make a lasting impact. https://uujusticepa.org/justice-teams/
The 8th Principle Learning Community is a Facebookgroup of committed folks across the country who continue to learn how to accountably dismantle systems of oppression. Ask Pat and Maggie about how it has fed their spiritual growth.
Finally, we have our own internal community bulletin board. If you’d like to share some news with fellow congregants about something fun, curious, for sale, or for discussion, you can send an email to g.friends.of@uuberks.org and receive a daily digest only when someone posts a message. Join our First UU Berks internal listserve by emailing a request to admin@uuberks.org.
Once you’re connected with one of these groups, please share your insight and involvement with our First UU Social Justice Coordinating Team at g.social.justice@uuberks.org. We’ll connect you with others of similar interests!
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| Greeter Volunteers Needed
I hope this mid spring beautiful weather is finding you all well!!
As we are all seeing new growth in nature in this season- I find that being of service is also a path to growth for us humans 🙂 We currently have a dedicated list of volunteers which is very much appreciated but as summer gets closer- I realize there are other adventures we will be heading out to do so there are currently a lot of open spots for the upcoming Sundays. This is a wonderful way to connect with the rest of the community, get to know more about our amazing church and as an added bonus- gets you to church when sometimes you may not feel like getting out of your pajamas and hear the priceless messages in each of the services.
With this said- we need your help!! If you are available or want to know more about being a greeter -please reach out to me by phone, text or email
Blessings,
Joanne K.
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| Food Bank
The Helping Harvest Food Bank is held at our church on the 3rd Saturday of each month. To prepare, we need to set up a “store” in the Gerber Room with tables and shelves starting around 8:30 AM. We will receive a delivery truck from Helping Harvest around 9:30 AM, which contains hundreds of pounds of food that must be carried in from the street. We will unbox all of the items and place them on the tables and shelves in our store. Once the store is ready, we will guide families through it, one or two at a time, and assist them in selecting items that they can take home for free. Afterwards, we will break down all of the boxes and put away the tables and shelves.
We require many volunteers to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Currently, we are in need of more help. Would you be able to spare a few hours on Saturday morning to assist us? Typically, things are slow until the delivery truck arrives, so we could use more help with unloading, managing the different food areas in the “store” and cleaning up afterwards. Last month we were done before 12 noon. If you have any questions, please contact Frank W.
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Do you have our latest Church Directory?
If you are in need of a church directory, please email Melissa at office@uuberks.org for a PDF copy or a hard copy to be mailed to you. |
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| Would you like to deepen your connection to members of our church community?
The Eighth Principle Committee invites you to read What Does It Mean to Be White? Developing White Racial Literacy by Robin DiAngelo and then share your reactions to this important work in conversations with others, starting in July. This is an opportunity to build community by telling stories and grappling with societal oppression. We have a limited number of copies available for $12. Please contact Be Young to get your book at youngry2725@gmail.com We look forward to lively discussions this summer.
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| Attention Giant Shoppers! Did you know you can shop at Giant and make money for the Church at no cost to you?
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
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September’s theme is Welcome
I have thoughts to share on the verb and adjective, welcome.
When you walk into my house there is a Cross-Stitch that says Witamy. In Polish, it means welcome. I got the cross stitch from my dad’s house after he died and I do not know of its origin; it was just always there.
In the musical, Cabaret, the MC sings “Willkommen” whose lyrics say welcome in many languages, besides its German title.
We roll out the welcome mat, literally and figuratively, when receiving visitors.
In decades past, neighborhoods would have Welcome Wagons show up to welcome new neighbors.
In UU circles, it sometimes refers to our curriculum, Welcoming Congregations, which teaches congregations how to be more inviting and safe—more welcoming—to people who are LGBTQ+ , many of whom are deciding if we will become their spiritual community.
Clearly, the concept of welcoming people is everywhere, in all places and times. The customs will differ, but the idea of welcoming in visitors, even strangers, is a human trait.
With the beginning of the church year, coinciding with a typical school year, welcome is on our minds, as it always is at new beginnings. This year I invite a new way to think of this time-honored tradition of WELCOME. Rather than it being a verb, to welcome somebody, turn it into an adjective that describes how it feels to be in that group, or in that place.
After years of being isolated from each other because of Covid, after years of living in a nation fractured by vastly differing politics, after years of cultural shifts around so many human issues…..when do you, yourself, truly know you are welcomed? When and where do you know that you can help somebody feel truly, fully welcomed somewhere?
My invitation is this: After the introduction, keep asking what would make somebody feel welcome (adjective) which is more than welcomed (verb) and then do it. Or even, let yourself state what you would need to be welcome, even if you have been in the group for years.
Welcome back to church!
In peace,
Rev. Amy
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by nadine j. smet-weiss
spiritual director
be
you
here
now
fully
welcome
in this
moment
as it is
as you are
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