The theme we are celebrating for February is “Inclusion”

This month’s bedtime story is “You are not Alone” by Ashely Evans and the Alphabet Rockers 

It can be scary to feel like you’re all on your own, especially in the face of prejudice and injustice. But always remember: you are not alone! With uplifting text and colorful art, You Are Not Alone shows readers that when we step up to support one another, we can make a world where everyone knows they belong.

• Purchase it for your home library

• Find it at the Library 

9:30 AM Adult RE

• Meets in Person in the back of Chalice House

• This week we will be continuing our discussion on “Gen Z and Social Media” email Ginny Chudgar for more info (see directory for address)

9:30 AM Elementary kids please gather in the Gerber room to head up to Kidspace 

• This week our kids will be working on “The Practice of Not Leaving People Out

• We will be reading a story, play some charades and maybe go on a church wide scavenger hunt!

10:30 Youth Group 

• The kids will be discussing Fantasy and Spirituality.

Please check our Facebook Page for events and activities to continue your Religious Exploration at home Weekly posts on our covenanted RE Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/UUBerks.RE.page/?ref=share
 

Please 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

Our OWL program begins this week – OWL will be geared to kids in grades 4-6. Covering a range of topics, including sexual health, gender identity, and relationships. The program is based on the principles of inclusivity, justice, responsibility, sexual health, and self-worth. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0C4EADA62DA1FD0-53158707-owlinterest

Do you have a joyous event happening in your life or a struggle that you are enduring ? Our caring circle wants to know! Please reach out to our Caring Circle at: g.caring.circle@uuberks.org 

Join Rev John for a six week class on the big theological questions through a Unitarian Universalist lens. Classes will run weekly on Thursdays from March 6th to April 10th at 7PM on Zoom. Each session asks: What does our Unitarian Universalist tradition teach about this theological concept, and how does that help me clarify and how does that help me clarify and act on my own beliefs?

3/6 – What Is Theology?

3/13 – What Are God and Spirit?

3/20 – What Is Our Purpose?

3/27 – Who Are We?

4/3 – What Are Our Sources?

4/10 – What Saves Us?

Once again, all classes will be held on Zoom. You can sign up using the Google Form here: https://forms.gle/QnLfaMchHRcAdVFJ8

In the Unitarian Universalist tradition, the installation of a new minister is a profound and joyful occasion—one that marks the coming together of minister and congregation in a shared covenant of ministry. It is a time to celebrate the journey that has brought us to this moment and to embrace the future we will build  together.

Our congregation, along with Rev. John and his wife, Jess, have traveled separate paths to arrive at this moment in time to  step forward in partnership to shape the future of our church.

An installation is a rare and significant event, akin to the ordination of a new minister, and one that many of us may be witnessing for the first time. It is an opportunity to come together as a faith community, to honor this sacred transition, and to celebrate with joy and purpose.

Let us gather in excitement, mark this milestone with intention, and take our first steps forward—together.  All members and friends of UU Berks are invited to attend the installation service at 3pm on Saturday, March 29th at 3:00pm.  There will be catered hors d’ oeuvres in the reception that follows.

Mike Mannix, UU Berks Board President

On February 16th, our worship service will feature personal stories from those who have experienced the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) General Assembly (GA) firsthand.  GA is something every UU should experience.  This four-day gathering is the largest annual UU event, bringing together thousands of UUs from across the country. It culminates in an awe-inspiring worship service that celebrates the beautiful diversity of our faith—a truly unforgettable experience.

At GA, you’ll find workshops, lectures, and social opportunities that deepen your connection to Unitarian Universalism and to our own congregation at UU Berks. Whether you’re new to UUism or a longtime member, attending GA is an enriching experience that will inspire and energize you. Plus, your participation strengthens our church community!

A Special Opportunity: GA Comes to Baltimore

This year’s General Assembly will be held in Baltimore, MD, making it more accessible than ever for UU Berks members to attend. The Keith Orts Fund Committee has revised its guidelines to encourage increased participation from UU Berks members in years when GA is within close proximity to Reading, as it is this year.  

The Keith Orts Fund was created to honor Keith’s deep love for Unitarian Universalism by connecting UU Berks members with the greater UU world by covering the cost of registration for GA and other UU events.   The Orts Fund Committee is composed of three people: Art Arleth, Shelley Kauffman, and Nadine Smet-Weiss. 

Early-Bird Registration and Other Ways to Reduce Costs

The Early-Bird registration deadline for GA is March 31st. There are several registration options at the early bird rate: full-event adult registration is $410. Youth (up to age 24) registration is $275.  Children in grade 9 or lower are free with a registered adult.  There are other registration categories, so please view details on the UUA General Assembly website by clicking this link.  

Click this link to access the GA Financial Support page to learn about UUA-sponsored financial assistance that goes beyond registration costs.

We hope you’ll consider attending GA this year—it’s an experience you won’t want to miss! Please reach out to the Orts Fund Committee at g.orts.fund@uuberks.org to apply for financial assistance. 

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.

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

I’ve recently started a rewatch of Apple TV’s Ted Lasso (this and The Good Place are my emotional support binge-watches). For those unfamiliar with the show, it’s a fish out of water comedy about an American college football coach hired to lead a struggling English Premiere League football (soccer) team. But it’s not a show about sports. Ultimately, it’s about building healthy relationships among individuals and in a community. Early on in the show, when a sports writer asks him what success would look like to a coach who doesn’t understand the game, Ted answers, “Success is not about the wins and losses. It’s about helping these young fellas be the best versions of themselves, on and off the field.” And for the remainder of its three seasons, the show sets out to do just that on the field and in the back office. The one-man-showboating superstar grows to become a true team player. His model girlfriend declares her independence from him and finds her true calling. The past-his-prime all-star breaks down his walls to become the leader he needs to be. And in the process, the audience gets to see examples of healthy, intimate friendships – friendships between men that aren’t rooted in toxic masculinity, between women that aren’t centered on the men in their lives, and between men and women that aren’t centered on the pursuit of sex. True, deep connections. Radical!

Ultimately, Ted Lasso, is a story about the power of belonging – of committing to something of value that’s bigger than any of us while becoming our whole, human selves and forging real connections to other whole human selves. It tells the story without being preachy. It doesn’t put any one character on a pedestal, and is often heartbreakingly honest about the characters’ flaws. And it shows that the community and the relationships that are built are plausible. It holds up a window onto a potential way of being and says, “See? It’s a struggle, but it’s possible.”

It’s that possibility that keeps me turning back to the show when times are hard and I’m struggling with hope. The phrase beloved community gets tossed about in our church world regularly (I know, I’ve done some of that tossing), sometimes to the point where I fear it loses meaning. And sometimes it feels like an impossible goal. But the lesson of Ted Lasso is that building Beloved Community isn’t about creating a utopia. It isn’t about an end product at all. It is a process, a continual work in progress – uncovering out better selves, helping others do the same, and in turn creating a community that becomes its better self, one person at a time, one day at a time.

☼

I’ll be taking a week of study leave beginning on Monday, February 10^th. I’ll be back in the office Tuesday, February 18^th. This is for me to renew, get caught up on reading and advanced sermon prep, and work on some longer-term writing. I’ll be available that week for emergencies only.

See you in church!

John

How do we practice liberating love through inclusion? It starts at home.  This practice starts with you.  Liberating Love starts with Us.  On Sunday morning we light a chalice.  Do you light a chalice at home?  In these days where liberation for so many of us feels quite distant, we need to lean into practices that help us practice what we preach.  

Each month the Soulful Home resource outlines a practice you can try out at home that connects with our theme.  This month, the practice is one of creating Inclusion Affirmations. (Be sure that you’re connected to us through Remind or email director.religious.education@uuberks.org for the link to Soulful Home: Inclusion packet.)

I used affirmations as a spiritual tool to connect my hopes to that which is greater than me and counter narratives that didn’t serve our goals when I was preparing to give birth. Affirmations are a tool of strength. Reciting chosen affirmations connected me to my family, the generations before, and the generations yet to come.  As we collectively labor to create a more inclusive world, I invite you to create some affirmations to help you in the days ahead.

Soulmatters contributor April Rosario shares the key elements of spiritual affirmations:  They are created with intention.  Repetition gives spiritual affirmations power.  We create affirmations in alignment with our core values.  In the repetition we find that the affirmation is embedded deep down and it can shape your thoughts, emotions and actions in a spiritual way. 

Try It Out!

Try out creating an affirmation for inclusion this month! Here are April’s steps:

Choose an affirmation to remind you of the inherent worth and dignity of every person, regardless of their differences. Create an affirmation that will help you have an attitude of acceptance, compassion, and unity in your relationships with others. Do you want your affirmation to focus on inclusion, compassion, or unity? You choose.

• Examples to get you started:
  • We are all connected
  • Every person has value
  • We celebrate our differences

Ebee

by nadine j. smet-weiss
spiritual director

this being human
is a guest house
let our living
be an answer
to the question
of what it means to
welcome all that comes
treat each guest honorably
and recognize each
as a guide
from beyond

GuestHouse_Rumi
Live the Questions