View this email in your browser

Facebook

Website

Directions to Bell Street Chapel

Bell Street Chapel

Standing on the Side of Love in the West End and Beyond

We are a congregation rooted in Unitarian Universalism that seeks to build community both within and beyond the walls of our building. Join us for worship every Sunday at 10:oo am, as we gather in community for a time of reflection, inspiration, and music.

Childcare is available during worship. Also, Religious Education for school-aged children is available during the school year.

Our mission is
to welcome all people into our loving community;
to nurture each other;
to deepen our spirituality together
and to work for peace and social justice

***Attention ***

Rev. Weis will be on vacation and study leave for parts of June and July. So, if you are in need of emergency pastoral care please contact our congregation’s President, Christine Constantineau,and she will connect you with the minister covering pastoral care emergencies during that time.

Theme-Based Ministry at Bell Street Chapel

This year at Bell Street we have organized the program year into monthly themes. This means that each month we will explore a particular theme in worship, religious education, and other aspects of church life.

Every month will focus on a different religious or spiritual theme, and we will explore these areas through a Unitarian Universalist lens.

The newsletter will include weekly questions (called "Possible Ponderings") to consider and engage as an individual, a family, or in other aspects of our lives outside of church. Check out this month's questions in the section below.

Themes for the year include:

July - Wonder
August - Courage

WHOLE CONGREGATION SERVICE DATES
There are NO Whole Congregation Services scheduled the summer.

Note: All summer services will be held downstairs in Eddy Hall at 10:00am.
Our Religious Education classes are on summer vacation.

Possible Ponderings

July 3 – 9: What seemingly simple thing sustains your sense of reverence right now? What ordinary object or relationship reminds you of life’s preciousness? Reflect on these questions with a friend, or write in a journal.

July 10-16: What in life keeps you curious and engaged? What keeps you asking tough questions?

July 17-23: Check out this website that explores child-like wonder and adult-like wonder: http://gretchenrubin.com/happiness_project/2014/06/do-you-prefer-childlike-wonder-or-adultlike-wonder/

July 24-30: This week, find two “wonder-folk” who surprise you with their kindness and remind you not to write people off.

Upcoming Events

Sunday, July 17: August Newsletter Deadline (by 6pm to contact@bellstreetchapel.org)

Tuesday, July 19 @ 4:30-6pm: Committee on Shared Ministry meeting

Saturday, July 23: Medical Marijuana Festival at Bell Street Chapel (please contact Stu Smith and Beth Grossi for details on this event)

July Worship Schedule
(All services will be downstairs in Eddy Hall)

~~~

Sunday, July 3^rdat 10:00am:
The Impossible Truth - Ray Perreault

~~~

Sunday, July 10^that 10:00am: Misunderstandings about the Poor - Dr. Joe Laferriere

~~~

Sunday, July 17^that 10:00am: Renewing Child Like In Everyday Life - Beth Solomon

~~~

Sunday, July 24^that 10:00am: Wonder Folks - Rev. Margaret Weis

~~~

Sunday, July 31st at 10:00am: Self-Care: Respect for Our Own Worth & Dignity

Love Reaches Out

Celebrations, Losses, Milestones, and Calls for Fellowship

Have a milestone, celebration, or loss you're experiencing? Need some extra support? Contact our Caring Committee by emailing Ellen Smith or Rev. Weis.

Ministerial Musings

We are entering into the summer months, with the humid and hot days, and a few more hours of daylight to offer our busy lives. Summertime allows a little extra room in our days to set aside for wonder – about life and its blessings and challenges, about the world as it is and as it could be, and about what the future might bring.

My hope for all of us is the possibility of finding and witnessing wonder in our daily lives. I hope to take the time to pause and reflect on the natural beauty in the world, in our relationships, and in our communities.

Perhaps this summer will bring a trip to the zoo to visit with animals. Perhaps it will bring a gathering at Waterfire to appreciate the beauty of that ritual and join in community with others. Perhaps the summer will bring quiet moments by lakes, rivers, or the ocean. Wherever you find wonder this summer, I hope you’ll tuck some of it away in your heart to bring out into the world.

May we all take notice and find wonder in our lives. May we engage our wonder about one another and our curiosity about our shifting and changing world. And may we give thanks for that which brings us wonder and joy.

Take good care,
Rev. Margaret

Enjoy coffee hour? Want to make sure it continues to happen?
Join our Coffee Crew!!!
Still looking for "coffee crew" volunteers to help with coffee hour set-up and clean-up!

Most of the ambitious folks who have signed up to help are under the age of 10; we need some more folks with a few more years under their belt to help out our young folks (we'd like to see at least 2 people signed up for each week).

Minimal work is required, but necessary if we want to keep coffee and conversation going after service each week.

You will be provided with a procedures sheet to help you and there are always other hands around if you have questions.

Coffee Crew Schedule:
July 3: Beth Solomom
July 10: Miles & Shannon Donahue
July 17: Tarah Tamayo
July 24: Cindy Palmieri & Kathy Lannigan
July 31: Miles & Shannon Donahue
August 7:
August 14:
August 21:
August 28: Miles & Shannon Donahue

Take me out to the Ballpark!

Join us for a fun familly night out while you support the important work the chapter does to provide services and programs for families dealing with Alzheimer's disease.

Pawtucket Red Sox Game with Fireworks Display

Sunday, July 3, 2016

6:15pm
Tickets: $10.00 each

Tickets include game, fireworks display and $3 ballpark credit toward purchases at McCoy Stadium

Join us at McCoy Stadium for the Pawtucket Red Sox vs. Columbus Clippers. After the game you will be treated the best fireworks display around - the 4th of July Patriotic Fireworks Spectacular.

Purchase your tickets now

You can purchase your tickets online or call the office at 401-421-0008, we will mail you your tickets.

This event will support the Walk to End Alzheimer's

Friends Music Camp

Friends Music Camp (FMC) is a Quaker-run music camp which takes place at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. We are actively seeking campers for this summer July 10 - August 7, 2016. Considering the shared seeking nature of the unprogrammed Quaker tradition and the Unitarian Universalist tradition, as well as a shared interest in social justice, reaching out to UU congregations seems like a natural fit!

FMC is open to campers from 10 to 18 years old at all musical levels. During the summer, campers attend lessons, sing in the chorus, play in large and small ensembles, act in musical theater, take classes, and, of course, have ample time for hanging out and having fun. We ask that prospective campers have had lessons for at least one year on their chosen instrument, or that they have participated in a school orchestra, band or choral program for at least one year. Evening activities include capture the flag, a dance, outside speakers, visits to the local pool, and other fun activities. Both students and staff perform at weekly recitals and on weekend concerts.

This is a wonderful experience for any young music student. There is a great deal of information about FMC on our website, www.friendsmusiccamp.org . Please feel free to take a look and pass this information along to anyone who might be interested in FMC. I would also be glad to send you a poster and/or brochures by mail if you would like to post those. If you have any questions about FMC, feel free to contact me at any time!

Sincerely,

Pam Wilkinson ~ Friends Music Camp Faculty

2016 Children’s Summer Theater Camp!

Something amazing is happening this summer at The Arctic Playhouse!
The Arctic Playhouse is delighted to be collaborating with Shannon McLoud from Radioactive Theater Company in offering it’s first Children’s Summer Theater Camp! Shannon is a local teacher and theater director. She has worked with children in theater for over 10 years and has experience writing, directing and acting. Studies prove that theater helps build self confidence and public speaking skills … so sign up today!
http://www.thearticplayhouse.com

We are celebrating 10 years of once-a-year trips with Two Mindful Journeys in 2017, for UUs & their friends:

Peru: Always wanted to experience Machu Picchu? Join us March 25-April 5, 2017. Our journey will be filled with comfortable places to stay, Shamanic conversations, lovely food, water blessings at an old Inca spring, beautiful natural vistas and reflections while sitting on a mountain top.

Portugal/ Spain, May 14-24, 2017, from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela. Along the way, we enjoy soulful Fado music, a tile-making workshop, wine, port and culinary tastings, and a bit of a walk on the Camino. Imagine cruising down the Douro River tasting Port while reflecting on the scenic vineyard-covered hillsides.

Journeys led by UU minister, Wayne Walder, Toronto, Canada, www.nuuc.ca To receive a detailed itinerary for either journey, please email Beverlz@me.com to learn more about Mindful Journeys go to http://nuuc.ca/spiritual-growth/spiritual-practice/mindful-journeys/

Neighbourhood UU Congregation,

Beverly Carr,Toronto, Canada.

Calling all Committee Members!

Thank you for signing up to be part of a committee (or more than one)! You should have heard from your committee chairman by now and hopefully had one or more meetings already! We hope to see you all off to a great start. Remember to check in with your chairman periodically about ideas, and things you are willing to assist in. Let's keep this great momentum moving!
As we get movin' and groovin' with our committee work, we need to remember to coordinate our time and space. An important aspect of that is the church calendar; every single committee member should keep this in mind. We need to make sure to check the calendar before we schedule anything, so we don't have conflicts. Lack of confusion and conflicts is imperative to get us going in the right direction. Not sure how to check the calendar? You've got a few options, and we're here to help!

Option 1: Bookmark the calendar page and always check it - have it open when meeting with your committees: http://www.bellstreetchapel.org/calendar/ (if you lose this bookmark, there are 3 places on the homepage of our website to reach the calendar)

Option 2: Add the calendar to your calendar. For those of you very involved, you'll need to have the calendar at the ready! So, why not add the calendar to your calendar for viewing?

--Adding to a google/gmail calendar (most common) -- When viewing the calendar page on the bell street website, scroll to the bottom of the page. Below the calendar will be an icon that says "subscribe"

. Click that Subscribe button and select "add to google". A browser window opens with your Google calendar, asking if you want to import the Calendar. Select "ok" or "yes". The calendar will show up in a separate color than your own calendar. You can rename the calendar and change the color if you like.
--Adding to a other calendars -- When viewing the Bell Street Calendar, click Subscribe at the bottom. This will download an .ICS file to your computer. However, it is your computer settings which will determine exactly what will happen next. You might see a window asking you which program you want to use to open the file.

If you have a program associated with ICS files already (such as iCal), it will open when you
click Subscribe. It will present a list of options for importing the events. Follow the instructions for your program on how to fully import the events. For example:

iCal: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iCal/3.0/en/9870.html

How to get your .ics feed from your All-in-One Calendar

Hover over the subscribe button and right click. Select “copy link address.” You can paste this link into your calendar where it asks for an .ics file.

GREAT! Now that you're all set up, we should all be on the same page with scheduling.
Scheduling an event and need to add something to the calendar? Be sure to email the office to have it added: contact@bellstreetchapel.org. DO NOT SKIP this step for planning!! The calendar is our life line for working together; let's make sure we all do our part to keep it up to date, and we all have a great idea of what's going on at the church.

Questions? Email the office and we'll help you out!

Help End Homelessness in RI

Update My Information

A link to our online calandar