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October 1, 2021
This Week's Happenings
Friday, October 1, 2 pm:  Blair Shick Memorial
Saturday, October 2, 11 am:  Reproductive Rights, 5 Corners, Vineyard Haven
Week of October 3: Rev. Rob Hardies will be out of the country on vacation this week. Please contact Rev. Vicky Hanjian with any pastoral emergencies.
Sunday, October 3, 11 am:  There Ain’t No Such Thing as a Safe Space 
- cristy cardinal (join on Zoom) 
Relationships to each other and to that which is sacred are the only path to the beloved community.
cristy cardinal (she OR they) is a Master of Divinity Student at Starr King School for the Ministry. Her home congregation is First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor, Michigan where she was forthrightly evangelized into Unitarian Universalism by the Reverend Gail Geisnehainer (now retired). Her theological interests include liberation theology, queer theologies, and helping folks heal from religious trauma. She lives in Ypsilanti, MI.

 

 
This is our community. 
 
Here we find joy and solace, experience inspiring worship and music, and make good friends.
 
Here our children learn to care for others and the world.
 
Here we act with courage, speak out, and work hard for justice.
 
This is our spirit’s home. 

 
UUSMV Community
Resources from 9/26 Service: Forget Prayers, Bring Cake with Merissa Nathan Gerson
Hi All!  Thank you to those of you who were able to attend last Sunday’s service.  Here is a link to the YouTube playlist of the songs from our gathering.  We truncated both the prelude (Kriah) and the postlude (Second Line) during the service, so I thought you might appreciate the chance to see them in their totality.  www.youtube.com
For those of you who would like to read Merissa Nathan Gerson’s book, it can be found locally at Tangerine and Bunch of Grapes:  Forget Prayers, Bring Cake: A Single Woman’s Guide to Grieving.  It’s definitely an inclusive book, so don’t let the “single woman’s “ descriptor prevent you from reading it.  It’s full of vulnerable sharing and practical tips for both those who are grieving and those who want to support people who are grieving.
And. . .I just finished reading a delightful novel about grief and possibilities by Abbi Waxman: The Garden of Small Beginnings.  It was a recommendation of one of the librarians at the WT Library and I also highly recommend it.  I will have returned the copy I borrowed by the time you are reading this, so it may just be available!

- Jennifer Knight

Rev. Hardies Contact Information and Office Hours (virtual and in-person!)
In keeping with my half-time contract, I will generally be available for UUSMV appointments, calls and emails two days per week, in addition to preparing for and leading worship two Sundays per month. I will publish the schedule of my availability at the beginning of each month. Please feel free to reach out by email or phone to schedule an appointment with me on one of these days. If you contact me on a day I’m not working, you can generally expect to hear back from me on my next UUSMV work day. If you have a pastoral emergency or a time sensitive matter that requires attention before my next work day, please call or text me and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
My availability in October is as follows:
Week of October 3: I am out of the country on vacation this week. Please contact Rev. Vicky Hanjian with any pastoral emergencies.
Week of October 10: Tuesday October 12, Thursday October 14
Week of October 17: Tuesday October 19, Thursday October 21
Week of October 24: Tuesday October 26, Thursday October 28
 My UUSMV contact information is:
Email: revrobuusmv@gmail.com
Mobile: 202-294-9032


A Long Talk about The Uncomfortable Truth
This is an anti-racism activation experience.  Please sign up individually.  There is NO COST.  There is pre-work, a multi-media collection of content reflecting the truth about the history of racism in the United States and the impact it continues to have on our society today.  There are 3 sessions where all the participants will be on zoom for in person learning and sharing.  
These are the October dates: Wednesdays Oct 6, 13, and 20.  You can register now. You will receive the pre-work when you register.
The November dates are Thursdays: 4, 11, 18.
Barb Caseau and I took the September course which finished 9/9.
This is really excellent and unlike any other course I have taken.  I recommend all of our membership would get a great deal of learning about racism and how it affects us all today.  You will get new tools that will enable you have a discussion with a family member or neighbor who exhibits racist thoughts or feelings.  Contact Barb or me for further information or questions.
- Rita Brown

Guest at Your Table – Sharing the Abundance of Our Lives
We hope your Guest at Your Table banks are overflowing with coins for the UUSC (Unitarian Universalist Service Committee).  If you haven’t been collecting loose change (paper money too!) it’s not too late to start.  Temporary banks can be mugs, Tupperware containers, or any container that can hold donations. 
A few coins can represent treasured relief to many in the world.  Thank you in advance for sharing the abundance of your lives.
The UUSMV Universal Justice Network


In Our Island Community

Reproductive Rights October 2, 11 am
Join other UUSMV members at 5 Corners in Vineyard Haven
Saturday Oct 2 at 11 am




MV CROP Hunger-Walk-A-Thon FUNDRAISING is Oct. 1-17
MV Crop Walk Day on Sunday October 17

Dust off your walking shoes, UUSMV will be participating in 31st Martha’s Vineyard Crop Walk in October. Liz Loucks will be heading up our effort and will have sign up sheets and more info in the coming weeks.
Every day, countless people face the uncertainties brought on by poverty and food insecurity.  Many people around the world must walk long distances-to find work, to access clean water, or to get their next meal from a local food pantry or soup kitchen. 
UUSMV has participated in Crop Walks for many years.  This year we are encouraging each of us to join with others across the island on Sunday October 17.  We may not be joining as a team, but there will be many islanders to walk with! 
WALK.  GIVE.  CHANGE THE WORLD!
To find out more about the CROP Walk on Martha’s Vineyard, including raising money or donating to the Walk, please go to the web site: events.crophungerwalk.org   
You can join a team walking, find a participant to support or make a generous donation!  Please let us know if you are walking so others from UUSMV might join you!


Indigenous Peoples Day
The first annual Indigenous Peoples Day will be commemorated and celebrated at Felix Neck on Monday October 11 from 2-4 pm. If you need more details, please refer to our website: https://www.sassafrasmvy.org/adults-families-programs
- Barbara
 Caseau

Protecting Democracy Team
The Protecting Democracy Team will be meeting on Tuesday, October 12 at 2:00 pm (join on UUSMV virtual service link) to discuss our agenda for the coming year.  All are welcome to attend whether you signed up for the team or not.  We especially welcome anyone with ideas of what we can do, whether you wish to commit to the team or not.  You can access the meeting by going onto the church website and clicking on the “attend services” rectangle.  Our country is in a critical time for our democracy. What can we do to help?
—Karen Sankey

Broadway in the Park
Come one,
come all to Island Theatre Workshop’s outside musical revue “Broadway in the Park”
Saturday, October 16th at 5pm  and  Sunday, October 17th at 3pm
at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum’s Courtyard.

The pandemic has hit this non-profit group really hard. Help Island Theatre Workshop keep its “doors” open while enjoying an hour and a half of costumed musical favorites.  Tickets are $31 for general admission and can be purchased online www.itwtickets.org or through Jennifer Knight 508-221-2615.  We’d love to see you there!

 
Sacred Ground Martha's Vineyard Fall 2021
Don't miss this chance to sign up for the second Sacred Ground program series, a film-based dialogue series on race and faith and part of the 'Becoming Beloved Community' initiative of The Episcopal Church, a long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society.  Email to register:  Sacredgroundmv@gmail.com
Save the Date
Saturday, October 9, 9:30 am: Men's Group (meet behind the Chapel weather permitting)
Sunday, October 10, 11:00 am:  Wisdom: A Tree of Life - Reverend Vicky Hanjian 
What sources of wisdom may we draw from to cultivate and grow satisfying relationships?  Solomon suggests in Proverbs “Happy are those who find wisdom and those who get understanding.”  Let us explore together  pathways that speak to us.
Monday October 11, 2 - 4 pm:  Indigenous Peoples Day at Felix Neck
Tuesday October 12, 2 pm:  Protecting Democracy Team (join on Zoom)
Tuesday October 12, 3 pm:  Book Club (join on Zoom)

Thursday October 12, 2 pm:  Women's Group
A Year of Discovery and Rediscovery
Dear Friends,
I am writing this letter while still basking in the warmth of our live, in-person worship service in the backyard of the chapel on September 19. It was so good to be together in the flesh! And thanks to our tech wizard and musician Andy Herr, an equal number of us were able to join by Zoom.

This first experiment in hybrid worship (zoom and in-person) offered us a taste of what is possible for our Sunday gatherings as we weather the next phase of the pandemic. With the proper equipment (which the Parish Committee is seeking to purchase and install in the chapel) we will be able to resume socially-distanced worship in the chapel while allowing others to join by Zoom until they feel comfortable and safe with in-person gatherings. This transition is critical to our thriving as a congregation and community.

The live service also highlighted the potential of our beautiful backyard. The spruced-up chapel and grounds glowed in the September light! Going forward, nothing prevents us in fair weather from worshipping together safely outdoors.

So many people contributed to the success of this first experiment in hybrid worship—too many to thank here. It’s yet another example of how this congregation pulls together for the good of our community.  Thank you to everyone who made this service possible!

My message that Sunday morning was about the value of “beginner’s mind,” a mind that is open, curious, flexible, and willing to learn. A mind that doesn’t think it has all the answers. Our first hybrid service was an object lesson in this kind of open, experimental way of being. We’ll need more of this “learning-as-we-go” spirit as we navigate a transition back to in-person congregational life.
 
Friends, my time on-island with all of you in September just reaffirmed how privileged I feel to serve this congregation during this important transitional year.
 
Much love to you all, 
ROB


My UUSMV contact information is:
Email: revrobuusmv@gmail.com
Mobile: 202-294-9032
ROB
Hi everyone, thank you all for your kind words of congratulations on my recent grandparenthood.  I will be back in the office Tuesdays (12:30 pm – 2:30 pm) and Thursdays (10 am - 12 pm).  Please call the Chapel if you'd like to make an appointment to come in.  Send me dates, times and locations to add events to the calendar or Friday email.  Please send anything for the Friday email by Thursdays at 10 am.  Thanks you for all your help.  Have a good week!
Ann
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Unitarian Universalist Society of Martha's Vineyard · PO Box 1236 · Vineyard Haven, MA 02568-0903 · USA

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