August 29, 2021 Livestreamedat 10:30 am (prelude begins at 10:25)
“Do Nothing”
Artist Jenny Odell writes "Nothing is harder to do than nothing. In a world where our value is determined by our productivity, many of us find our every last minute captured, optimized, or appropriated as a financial resource by the technologies we use daily." In the face of all the challenges our post-pandemic society faces, guest preacher Rev. Darcy Baxter suggests that Unitarian Universalist religious communities are being called to do nothing.
Brief Report of Motions Passed at August Board of Trustees Meeting
The Board of Trustees met via Zoom on Wednesday, August 18, 2021.
The email vote of July 24 to elect Lee Carnes as Vice President of the Board of Trustees was ratified unanimously.
SERVE
Habitat for Humanity
HABITAT WANTS US ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 28.
YES, THE DOOR IS OPEN FOR A WORK PARTY!!! WHEN: SATURDAY, AUGUST 28
TIME: 9 AM TO 3:30 PM
WHERE: 516 N. BRADDOCK AVE.
OTHER: WEAR CLOSED-TOE SHOES, BRING WATER AND LUNCH, FACE MASK
HOW: CONTACT MARTY LIEB AT liebm38@yahoo.com OR 412 856-0548 TO SIGN UP
GUARANTEE: GOOD TIME HAD BY ALL, FEELING OF SATISFACTION
We can only take 8 people, so we will have to be patient to have our turn.
PIIN (PA Interfaith Impact Network)
PIIN’S FUNDRAISER FOR JUSTICE
SHARE THE PLATE DONATION FOR PIIN PIIN’S VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER FOR JUSTICE IS AUG. 29,6-7:00 P.M. For information & to register: piinpa.org (note new address) The Banquet program on Aug. 29 will feature a “lightening round” of briefings on PIIN’s progress and victories from Reverend Richard Freeman, PIIN’s President; Terri Minor-Spencer who leads PIIN’s efforts to empower, organize and train previously incarcerated citizens; Brandi Fisher on PIIN’s work with the Alliance for Police Accountability; Ronnie Zuhlke on PIINs Voter Engagement work, and Tassi Baser on PIIN’s “water actions” with ALCOSAN and the Homewood water crisis. PIIN works to take immediate action and engage allies in the fight against endemic assaults on equity and justice for all people of Pittsburgh. We hope you will contribute to First Unitarian’s Share the Plate in support of PIIN to raise funds for PIIN’s justice efforts. Currently, PIIN’s efforts are being led by a dedicated group of volunteers. We realize that some of you already donate to PIIN regularly as Sustaining Donors. However, PIIN needs to raise additional funds to hire staff to support volunteers' efforts.
For questions or more information contact Karen Burns or Sandy Woolley. Thank you.
Ways to donate: 1. Check mailed to the church office. Write "plate cash" or PIIN on the memo line. 2. Church website. The donor needs to change the fund to "Give to Share the Plate" from the default "Give to General Fund 2021" using the drop-down at the left of the line to display the options. (Information entered in the comment field is likely to be overlooked and makes extra work for church staff.) 3. Via text message to 412-435-1050 (for people who regularly donate from their phone): The amount followed by the word "share" ($20 share). Entering the amount without adding share donates to the general fund.
Braver Angels
Countering Political Polarization Greater Pittsburgh Workshops
This Summer and Fall 2021 All Via Zoom and Free of Charge Registration information below. Our country has become increasingly polarized over political issues. These FREE workshops will teach you strategies for both listening and speaking with people who have differing political opinions without trying to change anyone's mind. You will learn and practice skills for having respectful conversations that clarify differences, search for common ground, and affirm the importance of meaningful dialogue.
OCTOBER 18, 7 – 9:15 PM - Skills for Bridging the Divide workshops help you through difficult political conversations with people in your life. Learn how to talk across the divide in a constructive, empathetic way. (This is the same workshop we offered in April 2021. Both newbies and returning folks are welcome.) Save The Date. Registration link to follow in the Summer. NOVEMBER 15, 7 – 9:15 PM - Families and Politics workshops show participants how to talk about politics with their loved ones in a way that brings them closer together — not farther apart. (This is the same workshop we offered in August 2021. Both newbies and returning folks are welcome.) Save The Date. Registration link to follow in the Summer. These workshops are being facilitated by the national organization, Braver Angels, https://braverangels.org/, and are open to anyone interested in having better conversations with people on the other side (or the same side!) of the political aisle. Questions? Contact Lindy Ferriss at pghba@braverangels.org
SHARE THE PLATE
Share the Plate! Is there an organization you’d like to nominate to be the recipient of our third-Sunday Share the Plate offering? Please use this formto submit your nomination. The following information is needed:
Name of organization, Website address, or other sources of information, Is this a 501 (c) (3) organization (required)? What is your involvement with this organization? Why do you consider this an appropriate recipient for our Share the Plate offering? Preferred month (if any).
Ways to donate: 1. Check mailed to the church office. Write "plate cash" or the organization name on the memo line of the check 2. Church website. The donor needs to change the fund to "Give to Share the Plate" from the default "Give to General Fund 2021" using the drop-down at the left of the line to display the options. (information entered in the comment field is likely to be overlooked and makes extra work for church staff.) 3. Via text message to 412-435-1050 (for people who regularly donate from their phone): amount followed by the word "share" ($20 share). Entering the amount without adding share donates to the general fund.
OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP
Helping Each Other During these trying times, members of the church may occasionally need a helping hand. The Pastoral Care Team asks you to identify ways you may be able to assist. We expect you would be called only a few times during the year. Please contact a member of the team if you are able to help. You’ll be asked to indicate which of these you may be able to help with from time to time: □ Transportation □ Providing a meal for an individual or family □ Shopping In the event of a need in the congregation, you may be contacted to see whether you are available to help at that time. Your help will be appreciated!
PASTORAL CARE
Pastoral Care Team Contact Information:
Christine Beregi: cberegi1@verizon.net Phone: 412-992-1888 Jan Carlino: jancarlino807@gmail.com Phone: 412-727-0200 Julie Childers: julie36pa@gmail.com Phone: 412-726-3590 Jim Cunningham: cunni@comcast.net Phone: 412-256-0205 (Co-Chair)
Kathy Miller: kathymillerotter@gmail.com Phone: 412-639-8012 (Co-Chair)
Bob Sullivan: r.sullivan13@verizon.net Phone: 412-952-7772 Church Office: 412-621-8008
Song space at First Unitarian presents Alice Howe & Freebo
Today, @ 6:30 pm at Baum Grove Parklet 400 Roup Ave in Friendship
Bring your own chair/blanket & snacks/drinks if you like $20 Donation Suggested
Alice Howe is a rising young voice in modern folk music, hailing from Boston and now based in Los Angeles. Freebo is a genuine folk, rock, and blues icon who has recorded and toured with many of the great artists of our time - Bonnie Raitt, CSN, Maria Muldaur, John Mayall, Ringo Starr, Dr. John, Neil Young, & many more.
Sept. 5, 2021
“Imagine”
A generous offering of music and reflection from members of Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, Alexandria, Virginia (Rev. Kate’s former church). In this collection of recordings we enter into the world of reimagining our world during times of struggle. Whether during a pandemic or labor struggles (honoring Labor Day), it’s important to remember have the capacity and the resilience to use our creativity.
Sept. 12, 2021 “We’re Going to Need a Bigger Table”
We gather together to start a new church year, a new relationship, in a newly emerging world.
A multigenerational annual Gathering of the Waters worship with Rev. Dr. Kate R. Walker and Erica Shadowsong.
Sept. 19, 2021
“Expanding the Universe with Curiosity”
It’s so easy to be curious about aliens and UFO’s that are out in the universe. It’s more challenging to be curious about the unidentified thoughts in our own heads or the heads of others. We look at how we expand into discomfort and joy.
Rev. Dr. Kate R. Walker
Sept. 26, 2021
“Am I Wrong?”
It’s hard to admit when we’re wrong, in fact we actively eliminate and minimize supporting evidence that we’re wrong. So how do we have an honest relationship with intimacy and forgiveness if we can’t make mistakes?
Rev. Dr. Kate R. Walker
New Book Groups and Upcoming Classes for Adults Please sign up if you are interested in any of the following book groups! Once at least 3 people have signed up for a title, you will be contacted together so that you can coordinate dates and times of meeting.
Elite: Uncovering Classism in Unitarian Universalist History by Mark Harris
Eugenics and social control aren't the first words that come to mind when Unitarian Universalists recall their proud progressive heritage. This provocative and critical look at class in Unitarian Universalist history reveals that today's largely middle-class and educated congregants are descended from an elite cultural establishment. The wealth, standing, and religious conviction of these forebears converged in actions and ideas that would be appalling by modern standards. Mark Harris eloquently argues that this history needs to be known in order for the denomination to envision a broader, more inclusive future. Elite is a crucial new resource for the historical understanding of Unitarian Universalism and a call for greater economic diversity.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters at the End by Atul Gawande
Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming the dangers of childbirth, injury, and disease from harrowing to manageable. But when it comes to the inescapable realities of aging and death, what medicine can do often runs counter to what it should.
In his bestselling books, Atul Gawande, a practicing surgeon, has fearlessly revealed the struggles of his profession. Here he examines its ultimate limitations and failures―in his own practices as well as others'―as life draws to a close. Riveting, honest, and humane, Being Mortal shows how the ultimate goal is not a good death but a good life―all the way to the very end.
This book is offered in anticipation of a spring class that will be offered by Rev. Kate on death and dying.
Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything by Victor Frankl Eleven months after he was liberated from the Nazi concentration camps, Viktor E. Frankl held a series of public lectures in Vienna. The psychiatrist, who would soon become world famous, explained his central thoughts on meaning, resilience, and the importance of embracing life even in the face of great adversity.
Published here for the very first time in English, Frankl’s words resonate as strongly today—as the world faces a coronavirus pandemic, social isolation, and great economic uncertainty—as they did in 1946. He offers an insightful exploration of the maxim “Live as if you were living for the second time,” and he unfolds his basic conviction that every crisis contains an opportunity. Despite the unspeakable horrors of the camps, Frankl learned from the strength of his fellow inmates that it is always possible to “say yes to life”—a profound and timeless lesson for us all.
A UUA recommended read. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools of science. As a Potawatomi woman, she learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plants and animals to be our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowing together to reveal what it means to see humans as "the younger brothers of creation". As she explores these themes, she circles toward a central argument: The awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the world. Once we begin to listen for the languages of other beings, we can begin to understand the innumerable life-giving gifts the world provides us and learn to offer our thanks, our care, and our own gifts in return.
A UUA recommended read; perfect for the fall season. Spiritual in Practice- Ten Virtual Workshops for Unitarian Universalist Adults. Facilitated by Erica Shadowsong on Thursday evenings. Spirit in Practice was created to help Unitarian Universalists develop regular disciplines, or practices, of the spirit—practices that help them connect with the sacred ground of their being, however, they understand it. Spirit in Practice affirms religious diversity while seeking unity in our communal quest for meaning and wholeness. Whether participants follow a path they identify as Humanist, Jewish, Christian, Pagan, Theist, Atheist, Agnostic, Mystic, and/or any of the other paths we follow in our diverse congregations, the Spirit in Practice workshops offers a forum for learning, sharing, and growth that can enrich their faith journeys.
Young Adults Religious Education
Young Adults Small Group Weekly Meetings on Zoom
Please join us for our weekly meeting at 7 pm on Wednesdays, where we explore spiritual practice in our everyday lives. Interested in joining us? Email Erica at eshadowsong@first-unitarian-pgh.org
Children and Youth Religious Education
REGISTRATION OPEN FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH Register here https://forms.gle/QDWt8j2Kpzp2k8DX8 Dear families, registration online is back! Please register your children and youth whether you are new or returning.
NEW this year
Parent and family-focused special topics and covenant groups!
Parents, you now have the option on the children and youth registration form to indicate your interest in being connected with other parents in a covenant group or participating in special one-time workshops focused on UU parenting and families. Please be sure to fill out this section of the registration form so we know how we can support you best!
Sunday Religious Education @ 11:30 returns in September
Virtual religious education will be offered again this year with one addition; we will have an offering especially for the PreK/K children as well as one for school aged children. We will explore stories and lessons that connect to the 7 Principles, to follow our year exploring the 6 Sources in depth.
Testament: A virtual tabletop roleplaying game - Saturday mornings from 10 - 12:30
Tabletop roleplaying games, or RPGs, are basically cooperative, immersive storytelling, with some chance thrown in by using dice to determine the success of a character's actions. This particular setting, called Testament, is set in the biblical era, offering an enormous amount of information on the cultures of the time periods, their histories, and their mythologies as well. It mixes both fantasy and historically accurate information, which I believe gives it the potential to be an exceptional learning tool on the beliefs, lifestyles, and mythology of ancient cultures. And it's fun! Kids will choose from a variety of pre-made characters to play, who may vary from professional charioteer drivers to Egyptian magicians, to Levite priests, Magi, and or even herdsmen and travelers. They will participate in an adventure that encourages teamwork and group bonding. Those who enjoy this kind of experience tend to make it a lifelong hobby.
Currently, we have a small group of kids ages 11 - 13 who will be starting this Saturday, 8/14! There is still plenty of room to check it out; potential players, come to our Session 0 this Saturday to learn more.
For those younger or older who may be interested, please let me know; if there is enough interest, I will organize another group of like ages. This offering, if popular, may continue throughout the year. If you have a younger child but believe they would enjoy this experience despite an age difference, they are welcome to join us on Saturday to try it out! Please email me at eshadowsong@first-unitarian-pgh.org for the Zoom link.
Youth Group
High School youth will be invited to participate in a variety of activities this fall, both virtual and (safely) in person. We are focused this year primarily on reconnecting socially, having fun together with games, and also participating in service projects. Please register on the form to be kept informed.
Inaugural Meeting Tuesday, September 14 at 7 pm*
Special Guest: Rev. Dr. Kate Walker
Want to learn about Humanism? Join us, the steering committee of the First Church Humanist Group, as we explore the paths briefly each of us has taken on our own journeys toward Religious Humanism, after which Rev Kate will tell us about her humanist views. Then chat will be turned on, and it will be your turn!
If you’re curious, each of these links, from different parts of the world, gives an introduction to humanism : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P74SNn2f4eE (3 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tpL1K8ZqrU&t=126s(3 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9Zz4hYuGdw&t=5s (11 minutes)
See also the website of the Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association: https://huumanists.org/ Committee Members: Lucinda Beattie, Amy de Chicchis, Stuart Hastings, John Hooper, Audrey Masalehdan
*This meeting will be held on Zoom
Racial Justice Task Force
Racial Justice Task Force Meetings The First Unitarian Racial Justice Task Force meets on the third Sunday of every month from 3:00 - 5:00 pm ET via Zoom. If you have any questions about the Task Force or would like to get involved, please email Sonia Wellington at sonia.wellington@gmail.com. And please stay tuned for more information on our upcoming book club, movie nights, and much, much more.
Women's Alliance
Women's Alliance
All are welcome! Contact Alice Carnes, co-chair, alice.carnes51@yahoo.com, or Alice Bright Membership Chair ab03@andrew.cmu.edu to include you on our group email list. Information about Women Alliance meetings is shared on our group email list and includes the Zoom meeting invitation.
Men's Group
Men's Group Meeting The Men's Group does not have regular monthly meetings on the 2nd Wednesday of each month during June, July, and August. For many years, with the exception of last year, outdoor activities and excursions have been planned (such as hikes, lawn bowling, Bocci, boat rides, etc.). That process is now underway. Look for email notices. If you are NOT on the men's group email list, please contact Jim Reitz at j5650r@comcast.net. Monthly meetings - probably on zoom - will resume in September.
Covenant group
Covenant group Opportunities Consider joining or creating a virtual covenant group.
If you are interested in joining or creating a new covenant group, you can complete a Covenant Group interest form or contact Alice Bright: ab03@andrew.cmu.edu. If your group wants to set up meetings using the church account, please contact Cicely Moultrie: cmoultrie@First-Unitarian-pgh.org
The “Chalice Weekly Newsletter” is organized around the four areas of our mission, with each of the areas featured on a rotating basis:
Inspire (first week of the month, with the month’s Sunday service topics, minister’s column, and news from the Inspire Council)
Learn (second week of the month, with lifespan religious education news, religious educator’s column, and news from the Learn Council)
Connect (third week of the month, with news about connections-related activities such as Covenant Groups, and other news from the Connections Council)
Serve (fourth week of the month, with news about social justice and service-related activities such as Green Sanctuary and Habitat for Humanity, and other news from the Serve Council)
Information about upcoming events will be included on a timely basis, ideally beginning three weeks or more before the event. If you have questions, please contact Cicely Moultrie, Communications Coordinator, at cmoultrie@first-unitarian-pgh.org.
OMBUDSMAN
Need an answer to a question and don’t know who to ask? Want to pass along some feedback and not sure who to contact? Reach out to your Board Ombudsman Ebe Emmons. Ebe will coordinate with staff, committees, and the board to get an answer or pass along feedback. Ebe can be reached atfirstuupghombudsman@gmail.com
