This Sunday
The Politics of the Brokenhearted
The Rev. Sue Redfern-Campbell
Our American body politic has long been fractured. As Langston Hughes wrote many years ago, “America never was America to me.” But the past few years have exposed the fault lines more dramatically than before. Is it possible to heal the divisions while creating an America that’s truly for everyone?
Parker Palmer’s 2011 book, Healing the Heart of Democracy, doesn’t offer easy answers. But his “politics of the broken hearted” may suggest some ways at least to talk to one another across the chasms.
October 17, 2021
Climate change: what you can do
Dr. Debra Rowe
WA: Lee Ancizek
CUUB member Debbie Rowe is deeply involved in advocacy to address climate change and comes to us with hopeful and helpful visions for our future. Yes, we can be realistic about how climate change will impact our future...and Debbie says we can also hold on to hope...and be advocates ourselves for better outcomes.
October 24, 2021
The power of singing; the power of song
Matt Watroba
WA: Karen Sanderson
Yes, you are reading this right dear CUUBies! The one and only Matt Watroba will be our speaker/singer on this special day. Many of you know Matt Watroba as the voice of folk music from his work as producer and host on the WDET Public Radio show "Folks Like Us." In 2019 he was inducted into the Folk Music DJ Hall of Fame and also started a non-profit organization, Common Chords, with long-time musical partner, Robert Jones. Matt is committed to inspiring the world to sing. You won't want to miss this special service!
Sundays at 10:30 EST
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/96678256367
Meeting ID: 966 7825 6367
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Until Further notice all services will be on Zoom.
Minister's Corner
Dear CUUB friends,
Greetings from Albuquerque! After an unusually hot New Mexico summer, autumn arrived right on schedule with the Fall Equinox. Tuesday was the first day that temperatures hadn’t risen to the 90s by mid-afternoon, and last night was the first in three months that I slept without the air conditioner.
I grew up in New Jersey, went to college in Ann Arbor, and spent 24 years of my adult life in Boston. Since these are all part of the Northeastern Woodlands, I grew up with bright fall foliage, and have missed it in other places. Autumn is beautiful here in New Mexico, but it’s different. Instead of maple and oak trees in yellow, orange, and red, we look forward to the cottonwoods, turned bright yellow, lining the rivers. The Río Grande runs north to south through the state; in the fall, you can spot its bright yellow ribbon from miles away.
Although I’m not of Jewish origin, themes of the High Holy Days, just past, have acquired special meaning for me over the years. I especially love the idea of Heshbon HaNafesh, making an “accounting of soul” at the New Year. This goes far deeper than the December 31 practice of New Year’s Resolutions, and the timing is more conducive to introspection, at least for me. I find that summer’s end calls me to turn inward, while the late December festivities invite outward revelry.
I’m sure the coming year will give us opportunities for both celebration and introspection! It’s been a pleasure to be your guest preacher at several Sunday services over the past month, and I’m looking forward to joining you officially next week, on October 1.
Blessings,
Rev. Sue
F.A.C.E.S. Team:
Garage Sale Update
The FACES team hopes to hold our annual garage sale next spring /summer! Our storage space is FULL so please do not drop off any donations at CUUB right now. Can an hold onto these items for next year? THANK YOU. Or if you have a large and/or valuable donation you would like to donate email the FACES team and we will work with you.
On the other hand, if you see an item in the basement that you would like to purchase please also contact the FACES team and we will work with you on purchasing it. We just don’t like donations appearing and disappearing without our knowledge and the basement is now fairly organized and we would like to keep it that way.
Thank you all for your assistance! Email: faces@cuub.org
Church Directory Update
Are you reachable? It’s time to check out your contact information in the CUUB Directory! We need to have updated email and phone numbers to communicate with each of our members.
Please log in to https://members.instantchurchdirectory.com/ and check out your information. You may also want to add a photo or change the existing one.
Having trouble logging in? Contact Membership Team (membership@cuub.org) for assistance or send an email with your up-to-date information.
Social Justice News
For the last several years CUUB has been supporting the homeless in Livingston County by supporting the Severe Weather Network's efforts. They are in need of some volunteers
Click this link to volunteer:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B4BAFA629A0FA7-fundraiser
or click here to get to the SJ website
Re-Building Community
CUUB's Ministry Team recognizes that we all miss being in community with one another, and that Sunday mornings may not be the best time for everyone to do that. With that in mind, we have planned a weekly Zoom drop-in get together for people to just hang out and talk. We're starting out on Thursday evenings from 8-9pm, and still deciding on format - whether we'd have topics or just talk about whatever's on peoples' minds. If there are too many people to talk to get a word in edgewise, we'll create breakout rooms so everyone can be heard.
Join us starting Thursday October 14th at 8pm or drop in anytime before 9 to say Hi!
https://zoom.us/j/92840233619
Meeting ID: 928 4023 3619
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Crop Walk
We’ll be joining with other churches and organizations to show our support for local and world hunger needs. We are hoping to be very successful this year, but we need your help. CUUB will be Joining Brighton’s CROP Hunger Walk Sunday, October 17. The walk begins at the First United Methodist Church of Brighton. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m. and the walk at 2:00 p.m. There will be tables outside for registration to preserve social distancing. You can also walk online and do a virtual walk if that suits you better. You can participate by supporting the walk in one of these ways: q Sign up as a walker – you can “Walk Online” or come in-person. Your goal is to get others to support your efforts by making donations. q Support an individual walker – Make a check out to CWS CROP and give it to a registered walker or make a donation online at: https://events.crophungerwalk.org/2021/team/community-unitarian-in-brighton The funds we collect will be used both locally and internationally to end poverty by building sustainable communities. [BD1]Ake a check out to CWS CROP
From Debra Rowe:
As a CUUB member and someone that worked on our green sanctuary work, and as professor of renewable energies and sustainable development for 41 years, I want to share with you that scientists know getting the climate policies we need is crucial.
Please take action and make some phone calls because the set of climate policies we need are in the budget reconciliation bill that will be voted on soon. Please call Representative Elissa Slotkin and call Senator Stabenow's offices. Ask them to vote for the budget reconciliation bill. Even if it increases the deficit, NOT passing it will produce a destabilized climate and the damage costs will create a much larger deficit.
We need to pass the climate policies in the budget reconciliation bill if we want to be a leader at the international climate conference next month. To connect to the Congresspeoples' offices, use this to get their emails and phone numbers -
https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials. (You can even leave a message after hours or talk to whoever picks up).
See what my colleagues and I (higher education associations and climate scientists from around the country) are telling people they can do from our website -
https://uspartnership.org/pages/climate-fixes-2.
You can also access a great phone script that you can use and personalize by clicking on this site -
https://www.changethechamber.org/climate-heroes . (There is a more complete list of congresspeople to call there. Please call them all. It only takes a few minutes of your time but it is very important!)
Spiritual Exploration (SE)
What's happening in SE?
https://www.cuub.org/post/spiritual-exploration-se-summer-news
If you have an questions or suggestions please do not hesitate to contact Trish Ibrahim at secoordinator@cuub.org
Communication Team News
Want to have an article in CUUB News? Send in (
news@cuub.org) what you want included and when (see publishing schedule below) and our great editors will make sure it is included. Deadline is Thursday 4 pm the day before publication (we do make exceptions for a good reason).
Need updates or additions to www.cuub.org just sent the information to
webmaster@cuub.org
Future CUUB News Publication Schedule*
October 22nd
November 5th & 19th
December 3rd, 17th & 31st
* subject to change but we will let you know.
