In a culture that listens more to respond than to to understand , how to we learn to hear the whole person in our presence?

This Weekend:

• This month’s bedtime story, The Invitation by Stacey May Fowles (suggested for kids 4-8) The main character, Fern, opens her mailbox and finds an envelope. Fern hates surprises and has a lot of anxiety about inviting the unknown into her life. Friends (and an inner positive voice) help her move through the worry and find the joy in inviting in experiences that are new. Invitation to Connect: Help your child express the many feelings they have when facing surprises or the unknown. Also, consider letting them know how you were like Fern when you were younger (and maybe still are). If you have a child who struggles with anxiety, this is a great book to open space about the tools they can use to work through hard things.

• Find it at your local library! 

• Purchase it for your home library!

SUNDAY

9:30 AM : Adult RE 

• Meets in Person: back of the chalice house meeting room.

• Faith Formation in September: We explore the gift of Invitation!  Topic info please email Ginny Chudgar (membership directory).

• We will continue last week’s discussion on “”The Social Contract and Freedom”

• There will be a TV in the room waiting for us to view a brief episode of “Bluey”, the cartoon-with-a-moral that the littlest of our little people are using in their RE classrooms.  After we watch, we’ll be given some suggested questions to ask the children when we come upon them during coffee hour.  This is to help foster intergenerational connections among us Berks UUers.  

• email Ginny Chudgar for more info (see directory for address)

9:30 AM: Children’s RE: The Gifts of Our Faith – 2 classes

Elementary Ages: 

• Younger Elementary: kids space cozy room

  • Bluey explores: 

    • Activity highlight: Hammerbarn – Teamwork

• Older Elementary: Kidspace front room 

  • This week we have a special class with Lisa Frank to do some yoga to stretch our minds and bodies

10:30- Worship Service- All Ages

We meet together to sing, to reflect, and to explore our world. 

How to make visual art directed by breath 

• Coloring Sheet: How Could Anyone – coloring pages set

• Use a printed or hand labyrinth to find renewal as you attend worship this morning. Here’s a labyrinth you can print out and trace.  Labyrinth Printable

• Practice your Searching and Creative skills with A Challenge to get from one heart to the other Maze

10:30 – 12 Youth Group:  

Grades 7th – 12: No Youth Group this weekend we meet again on 10/6

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

Register for 2024-2025 learning year: each year we need a new registration – fill yours out today www.uuberks.org/registration

UUBerks has decided to push its UU Climate Justice Revival programming to February  1-2 2025.  This time frame provides more lead time for congregants to mark their calendars for the event and it allows leadership ample time to plan.  Please mark your calendars and watch this space for more information!

Special Plate Nominations Being Accepted

The Special Plate Program aims to promote the well-being of our broader community in a collaborative manner that demonstrates the principle of the sacred interdependent web of all existence and our value of Generosity through the sharing of faith, presence, and resources. In 2023, we donated over $4800 to eight local organizations .At our May Congregational  Meeting, we resolved to add TWO more organizations to our Special Plate Program (for a total of ten). This is your opportunity to nominate other community partners. We will compile the list of candidates for a vote at the December Congregational Meeting.

You may email your nominations to g.social.justice@uuberks.org or use this form to submit as many organizations as you’d like. So far, folks have suggested Habitat for Humanity, Connections Works, Spotlight PA, Healing Garden (under Cafe Esperanza), NAACP Reading Branch, and the GRIP Dreamer Scholarship Fund. Special Plate NOMINATIONS    Please respond by Oct 1, 2024.

– “To Sing Is To Pray Twice.” – however you pray, however you find your center and connect with something larger than yourself.  Let UUBerks be a place where we connect through song.  The next few months have some really wonderful singing scheduled ahead Thank you to the music team for leading these while our director is on temporary leave. Let us know you’re interested in sharing your voice

Email director.music@uuberks.org with any questions you have Visit

https://uuberks.org/Sing

REV. JOHN’S MINISTERIAL START UP WORKSHOP & LUNCH POTLUCK

Join our UUA regional representative Lenore Bajare-Dukes (bio), Rev. John, and UUBerks leadership on Saturday, October 26th from 10 am to 1 pm in the Gerber Room for a start up workshop and lunch potluck! This event is a key stepping stone to our path to successfully transitioning to having a new minister, and our UUA rep will guide us on this journey. This is a time for all members to gather to discuss hopes and expectations for the year ahead with our new minister and engage with each other on who we want to be as a congregation.

Stay tuned for the potluck signup and childcare details.

The American Solar Energy Society’s National Solar Tour is coming up October 4th-6th, both in-person and virtually. This is the nation’s largest grassroots event showcasing solar power, renewable energy, and sustainable living practices. Our church is participating! We’ll be hosting tours on Sunday, October 6th from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Help us spread the word by sharing this with your friends!

RSVP today: https://www.nationalsolartour.org/

We are excited to announce a special dedication ceremony celebrating the installation of its new solar photovoltaic system. The ceremony will take place on Sunday, October 6th during our 10:30 am service.

State Senator Judy Schwank will be a special guest speaker at the dedication ceremony. Senator Schwank will share her insights on the importance of renewable energy and the positive impact of solar power on our community.

The installation of the solar photovoltaic system is a significant step towards the church’s commitment to environmental sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint. This investment will not only generate clean energy but also help to lower the church’s energy costs.

All members of the community are invited to attend the dedication ceremony. For more information, please send an email to office@uuberks.org or call 610-372-0928.

CROP Walk Team Nears Goal … Have You Donated?

We did such a good job collecting items for Hope Rescue Mission last year that they have asked us to do it again! Starting in October, we will be collecting coats, hats, scarves, gloves, belts, and purses. They are very much in need of new men’s underwear in all sizes from small to 3x. Donations can be left in the bin that will appear in the Gerber room in October. Thanks for your help!

Contemplative Companions will be regathering in October. New and ‘renewed’ participants are welcome! Our October gathering will be held on Sunday October 6th at the Penn State Berks Labyrinth following the service. You are invited to bring a brown bag lunch and may want to bring a lawn chair or blanket for seating. Following lunch/reconnection time, Jane will offer a brief Labyrinth, we will then walk the Labyrinth as a group, followed by sharing time. For further information contact Jane Rohrbach at windowsjmr@gmail.com or Nadine at njw1258@hotmail.com

The Building Keepers are excited to announce a new, streamlined way to submit maintenance requests! Now, you can easily report any issues using a convenient Google Form accessible from your smartphone or laptop. This digital system will help us track and resolve projects more efficiently.

Here’s how to submit a request:

1. Look for QR Codes: Scan the QR codes posted around the building using your smartphone’s camera app.
2. Direct Link: Alternatively, you can access the form directly by visiting this link on your laptop or phone’s browser:  https://uuberks.org/bk-ticket

We appreciate your cooperation in using this new system. It will allow us to better serve you and maintain our facilities effectively.

After a democratic process involving thousands of Unitarian Universalists discussing the faith’s values and core theology for more than three years, delegates at General Assembly 2024 voted decisively to approve changes to Article II of their bylaws.

“This is a historic moment for Unitarian Universalism, as we move our living tradition forward to focus on shared values that will help promote liberation, radical inclusion, and communal care both within our church and across society,” said UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt.

“Section C-2.2. Values and Covenant. As Unitarian Universalists, we covenant, congregation-to-congregation and through our Association, to support and assist one another in our ministries. We draw from our heritages of freedom, reason, hope, and courage, building on the foundation of love.

Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love. Inseparable from one another, these shared values are:”

We need you and your gifts to make next year’s RE program all it can be! How will you help our RE Children and Teens Grow this coming year? Share your level of interest with us so we know what we can plant in our learning garden and who will be tending it  www.uuberks.org/interest

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.

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

Giant Card Form

It was the fourth day of our caravan drive to Reading. We were on a particularly long leg, leaving Lincoln, Nebraska and pushing all the way to Chicago. By about 7pm, we’d reached Rockford, Illinois and the limits of hunger. The city offered many options, so many that decision fatigue set in fast. Whenever that happens, Jess and I will default to Middle Eastern, which is how we ended up at the Sahara Palace, tucked into a strip mall a few miles off the interstate. Tired and hungry, we entered with a mission: get in, eat, get back on the road and get to the hotel. With only three other diners in the place, we figured we were in good shape to make this a quick stop.

“Have you had this kind of food before?” asked our server. We said yes, it’s one of our favorites. “Good,” he said. “Close your menus. I’m going to cook for you. This will be the best you’ve ever had.” Our server turned out to be the owner, and he didn’t cook so much as direct the kitchen. But, a few short minutes later, our table was laden with chicken, lamb, kefta and rice; hummus and fresh pita and a killer garlic sauce. And Frank, the owner, was right – it was the best we’d ever had. “That’s love in there,” he said. “That’s the secret ingredient.” A cliche, but no less true for that.

Our quick in-and-out extended for an hour. The hotel would still be there, we figured. We sat and ate and sighed with contentment. We chatted on and off with Frank. The jangled nerves of non-stop driving were calmed. What we thought we wanted gave way to what we needed in the moment.

The invitation to pause – to step out of the flow of time, to connect and reconnect, to just be – comes from unexpected directions and unlikely messengers. In the frantic pace of daily life, to hit deadlines and get from point A to B, we often miss what we’re being welcomed into. This month, as we explore “The Practice of Invitation,” I invite you to consider what invitations are being offered to you now (and which ones you may have missed). Part of the practice is knowing what to listen for, and being ready to say “yes.”

※

Jess and I are slowly getting settled. It’s been a bit of an adventure getting here, and we are still house hunting, but have done well with Air BnBs to date. Fingers crossed, we’ll have a permanent address come October.

We are both so grateful for the meals and good wishes we’ve received during this month of transition (and individual thank you notes are wending your way).

I am jumping into the flow here feet first, and there’s already much underway as I begin my first year with you all. By now, I’ve met with most of our committees, spent much time talking with staff and getting to know the internal systems, and stepped into the flow of congregational life (it was lovely to see so many of you again at the annual picnic, and a privilege to work alongside some of you during the August food bank day). The board and I met for a Saturday retreat to set goals and expectations for the year. There’ll be plenty of opportunities in the months ahead to gather together and begin shaping the future of 1st UU Berks (yes, there will be invitations), and I’m looking forward to getting creative with you as we settle into our time together.

※

As our year begins, here’s how to get in touch with me:

Typically, I’ll be in the office Tuesday through Thursday from 10 until 3. Friday is my reading and sermon prep day, and I’m available for emergencies only. Monday is my sabbath day, and I won’t be available (emails and other messages will be returned on Tuesday).

My office time will shift between church and home as needed, so it’s best to make an appointment for face-to-face time in person or over Zoom. Please email me at minister@uuberks.org, or text me at (505) 920-4445

Please don’t ever hesitate to get in touch with me for any reason. Often, the minister will be the last person to know what’s going on in your lives, and I want to be sure I’m there for you whenever needed. My general advice is this: If the thought “I wonder if I should talk to the minister” even slightly crosses your mind, then that is the time to get in touch with the minister. I hope as we get to know each other better that I’ll become one of your first phone calls.

※

We’ll celebrate our annual Water Communion on Sunday, September 8th. Please bring your water to share in our common bowl as we kick off a new year.

See you in church!

The first time I went sailing was with my uncle.  He invited me out for an afternoon, on a tiny four person sailboat when I was around 14 years old.  His family rented the time and the boat for a few hours while they hosted me on one of the first weeks away from my mom and dad.

I don’t know if I would have ever sought out a sailing adventure had he not invited me.  It became our annual tradition for many years to go out on a tiny rented boat and sail up and down the pond near us, seeing where the wind would take us.

Sailing a small boat like that takes communication, it takes wonder and it requires you to notice your surroundings with intention.  Asking questions like: I wonder what’s changing?  I wonder what will happen when…?  I notice that we go faster if.  Do you see those turtles on the shoreline?  Would you like to go explore over there?  Can help one enjoy the journey.

In sailing, the journey is the fun part.  Oftentimes you can’t get from point A to point B on a direct path.  Sure, we might have set out thinking we would get to some point offshore one way but the wind might have had other plans that day.  We had to see what the wind was doing.  We had to dance with the wind.   Zigging and Zagging back and forth at the wind’s invitation to keep momentum going.

Thomas Potter and John Murray have a story that’s all about dancing with the wind and invitations created when the wind was still and there was seemingly no momentum to be had.  But that’s a story for another day. Here’s a link to one way their story is told. I invite you to explore what happened with them in 1770.

I’m curious – what’s a story about a time when someone invited you to an experience that was new or different?  Have you ever been changed or enriched because you invited someone new or different than you into your life?

In 2024, as we set out on our new church year, how will you dance with the wind?  Who will you invite in?  How do you feel invited?

As we get underway, I invite you to sail in our religious education ministries.  There are so many ways you can explore: our youngest will sail near the shores and explore lessons with Bluey.  Our older elementary kids get to try on what superheroes can invite us to be.  Our adults dance in conversations they decide on each month.  Each week we come together to worship and to share nourishment afterwards.

I will be around for a few more weeks to sail alongside you before the winds take me to explore a wholly new experience for me – what it will be like to be a newborn’s mother.  Erin Connolly, UUBerk’s Sunday Morning RE assistant and sexton will be sailing with you for more hours while I’m away.  Our contact info is in the directory – do you have the latest copy?  Email our office admin, Melissa Medina at office@uuberks.org if you need an update.        

I look forward to noticing where invitations lead us when I return this winter.

May you sail from this to that,

Blessings on your journey from your director of religious education, Ebee

by nadine j. smet-weiss spiritual director

how will you live love today be the answer