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September 17, 2021
This Week's Happenings
Friday, September 17-22: Reverend Rob on Island
Saturday, September 18, 10 am: Reverend Rob and Leadership
Sunday, September 19, 11 am:  Beginner's Mind - Reverend Hardies  (join on Zoom or in-person)
The great Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki once wrote, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind, there are few.” In many ways, this pandemic has made beginners out of all of us. How can a “beginners mind” help us create new possibilities in a time of uncertainty?
Monday, September 20, 10:00 am: Lay Pastoral Care Team
Tuesday, September 21, 9:30 am: Meditation Circle (join on Zoom)
Tuesday, September 21, 2:00 pm: Women's Group
UUSMV Community
Sunday Services -  September 19
Please join us for Worship this Sunday, Live or on Zoom!
It’s shaping up to be a lovely day on Sunday and we hope that as many of you as feel safe and able will join us at 11 am in the backyard of the chapel for in-person worship. Worship will be led by Rev. Hardies and Sue Streeter, with Andy Herr providing the music! We’ll ask folks to sit six feet apart and wear a mask. If you can, please bring a folding chair (we have some at the chapel, but not enough for everyone).
If you’d like, we invite you to say after service for a BYO brown bag lunch “coffee hour.”
Worship is also available on Zoom this Sunday for those who would prefer to remain at home. While things will work a little different than a regular Zoom service, we will do everything we can to make folks at home feel part of the live worship experience!
Right now the weather looks great for Sunday, but if it looks like rain later on, we’ll make a decision to move to a zoom-only format by 5 pm on Saturday and let you know by email. You’ll only receive an email if we are cancelling live worship.
See you on Sunday!
- Reverend Rob Hardies

Guest at Your Table – Sharing the Abundance of Our Lives 
Refugee atrocities, natural disasters, and oppressive governments have afflicted millions on the planet.  Help the UU Service Committee combat these horrors by collecting loose coins (and paper bills) for the UUSC Guest at Your Table campaign.
- Thanks from the UUSMV Universal Justice Network

Pledge Drive 2022 is Coming
Our Pledges Enable Us 
To share meaningful worship, with fantastic music.
To support each other through challenging times.
To demonstrate our commitment to racial equity.
To protect our country’s democracy.
To expand the use of our facilities and grounds.
To implement new on-site and off-site ways of worship.
To campaign for climate justice.
To minimize the need for fund-raising.
To shape the future of our
ministries, facilities, music, and lifelong learning.
To be a small but mighty congregation. 
Pledge Drive Kicks Off Sunday, Oct. 3
Please give generously.


Rev. Hardies Contact Information and Office Hours (virtual and in-person!)
Dear Friends,
Please be aware that I serve UUSMV on a half-time contract. 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 for September is as follows:
I will be on the Vineyard from Friday September 17 through Wednesday September 22, and available for appointments Saturday through Wednesday. During that time, I hope to connect with as many of you as possible, in small groups and one-on-one. Please contact me to schedule a face-to-face appointment!**
Week of September 26: Tuesday September 28, Thursday September 30
Thank you!
My UUSMV contact information is:
Email: revrobuusmv@gmail.com
Mobile: 202-294-9032
ROB

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 I for further information or questions.
- Rita Brown

In Our Island Community

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

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!

Reproductive Rights October 2, 11 am, 5 Corners Vineyard Haven
Join other UUSMV members at 5 Corners in Vineyard Haven
Saturday Oct 2 at 11 am! You can take my name off of this and it can be a stand alone.


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
Save the Date
Sunday, September 19, 11:00 am:  Forget Prayers, Bring Cake - Merissa Nathan GersonDuring our service on 9/26 we will join Merissa as she shares Forget Prayers, Bring Cake, her story of  confrontation with layers of grief and despair, current and historical – handled all alone in a brand-new city. 
Monday, September 20, 10 am:  Lay Pastoral Care Meeting
Tuesday, September 21, 2 pm:  Women's Group (note change of day to include Rev. Rob)
Tuesday, September 28, 10 am:  Pledge Team (meet in Chapel)
Friday, October 1, 2 pm:  Blair Shick Memorial
Saturday, October 2, 11 am:  Reproductive Rights, 5 Corners, Vineyard Haven
Tuesday October 12, 2 pm:  Protecting Democracy Team (join on Zoom)
A Year of Discovery and Rediscovery
Dear Friends,
I am so very excited to serve as your half-time consulting minister this year!
This promises to be a year of discovery and rediscovery at UUSMV. As for me, I’m eager to discover more about you. Having served as your guest preacher for many years, I have grown quite fond of this congregation. I trust that our relationship will deepen and grow as we work together to live out our mission.
I won’t be the only one learning, though. This will be a year of rediscovery for you, too. After nearly eighteen months of on-line worship, we’re planning for a time when we can safely transition to in-person/hybrid services. What will it feel like to be back together again? How will congregational life going forward be different from what came before? What do we hope for our future? These and other questions invite exciting possibilities!
In my part-time capacity, I will lead worship twice per month, support the work of the Parish and Worship committees, share pastoral care responsibilities with Rev. Vicky Hanjian and your lay caregiving team, and offer other support and counsel as time permits. Beginning August 22nd, I will be available for appointments, calls, and emails two days per week. At the beginning of each month, I will publish a schedule of my availability. (See more about my availability and my current schedule elsewhere in this newsletter.)
          Although much of my ministry with you will be conducted remotely (via Zoom, email, phone, etc.), I do plan to spend quality, face-to-face time with you throughout the year. In fact, I’ll be making my first in person visit to the Vineyard from Friday September 17 through Wednesday September 22. During that time, I hope to connect with as many of you as possible, in small groups and one-on-one. If you would like to schedule some time with me while I’m on the Vineyard, please reach out at my new UUSMV email address: revrobuusmv@gmail.com.
Friends, I look forward to seeing you in September and to accompanying you this year on our journey of discovery and rediscovery.
Love,
ROB
My UUSMV contact information is:
Email: revrobuusmv@gmail.com
Mobile: 202-294-9032
ROB
Hi everyone, There will be a temporary change in my office hours next week.  I am happy to announce the birth of my first grandchild (Kastiele) and I will be in Tuesdays (12:30 pm – 2:30 pm) but will be working remotely on Thursday.  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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PO Box 1236, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568  508-693-8982  uu.society.mv@gmail.com

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Unitarian Universalist Society of Martha's Vineyard · PO Box 1236 · Vineyard Haven, MA 02568-0903 · USA

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