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December 24, 2021
This Week's Happenings
Sunday, December 26, 11 am:   Winter Solstice service led by Rebecca Gilbert and Barb Caseau
Join us as Rebecca shares some inspiration from the natural world about the power of the small, and using this time to plant seeds for change.
Rebecca is the co-owner/operator of Native Earth Teaching Farm in Chilmark.  She is an inspired herbalist, a dyer of fabrics and wool with natural materials, a “Mother” to many baby pygmy goats,  a storyteller, a “pied piper” to her many egg laying friends, and a wonderful friend. 
Tuesday, December 28, 9:30 am:  Meditation Circle
UUSMV Community

December Birthdays

Dorothy Drozdyk on 12/29
Barb Caseau who will celebrate 90 years on 12/30!




UUniversal Justice
 
Injustice does not stop for the holidays.   Join our session to plan UUniversal Justice activities for 2022.   We will Zoom on Tuesday, January 4,  5  - 6 pm.


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 December is as follows:

Week of December 26: Monday December 27, Wednesday December 29

My UUSMV contact information is:  
Email: revrobuusmv@gmail.com 
Mobile: 202-294-9032


Our Island Community
Lend a Helping Hand
Do you have just a few hours a week to do something amazing?  
Harbor Homes has opened their day warming shelters and is looking for volunteers.  Shifts are 10:30-2:00 p.m. and you can do as many or as few as you like.  

  • Monday/Wednesday/Friday at Good Shepherd Parish Hall (55 School Street, Oak Bluffs)
  • Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday at Grace Church (34 Woodlawn Ave., Vineyard Haven)

They are also looking for hot meals to be dropped off (casseroles, soups, stews etc.)
Please contact Maura Morrison of Harbor Homes at (774) 563-3687 for more information or to lend a helping hand.
- Kristy Brooks


Covid Monologues MV: Readings to Nourish, Inspire & Connect
The Book is Here!!
If you are searching for holiday gifts, please consider ordering "Covid Monologues MV: Readings to Nourish, Inspire & Connect" edited by Jennifer Knight and Moira Silva from Amazon. All net proceeds from the book benefit the Vineyard Committee on Hunger. By the New Year, the anthology will available for purchase locally.
Covid Monologues MV: Readings to Nourish, Inspire & Connect click here to view/order on Amazon.

Save the Date
Sunday, January 2, 11 am:   Want What You Have with Rev. Rob Hardies
“This could be our revolution,” writes Alice Walker, “to love what is plentiful as much as what is scarce.” Rather than strive for more, how can we learn to live content with the many gifts we’ve already been given?
Tuesday, January 4, 9:30 am:  Meditation Circle
Tuesday, January 4, 10:00 am - 12 pm:  Worship Committee (meeting takes place on Zoom)
Tuesday, January 4, 5 - 6:30 pm:  UUniveral Justice (meeting takes place on Zoom) 
Friday, January 7, 2 pm: 
Sewcial Action Network
Saturday, January 8, 2 pm:  Men's Group
Come Home for the Holidays at UUSMV
 
Dear Friends,

The holidays are always a special time of year at church; an opportunity to connect with the warmth and love of the season. This year, we’re excited to invite you “Home for the Holidays” at UUSMV. That’s right: after months of being physically apart, we invite you to come “home” to our beloved Stevens Chapel for our Annual Candlelight Service on Sunday, December 12.
 
Because of capacity restrictions, we will celebrate two identical Candlelight Services, at 4:30 and 6:30 pm. (You can attend the 6:30 service on Zoom, too!) In between services, everyone’s invited to gather for caroling and s’mores around a firepit in the backyard. This will be my first Candlelight Service, and I’m looking forward to being there in person with all of you! Because of capacity limits, registration is required for attendance. Simply email office administrator Ann Cilfone at uu.society.mv@gmail.com to reserve your seat!
 
In addition to the Candlelight Service, we’ve crafted a month of services that will minister to our hearts and souls this season.
 
Dec 5  “Great Expectations”  Rev. Hardies
11:00 am on Zoom
 
“The extraordinary thing that is about to happen,” writes the minister and author Frederick Buechner, “is matched only by the extraordinary moment just before it happens. Advent is the name of that moment.” The winter holidays teach us that sometimes the extraordinary can emerge from the ordinary. Where is the extraordinary emerging in our lives? How might we prepare for it?
 
Dec 12  “Annual Candlelight Service” led by Rev. Hardies and Jennifer Knight
4:30 and 6:30 pm in the chapel! 6:30 pm service also available on Zoom.
No Sunday morning service this Sunday.

 
Join us as we return to Stevens Chapel for this beloved UUSMV tradition. Because of COVID capacity limits, registration is required for attendance. Please email office administrator Ann Cilfone at uu.society.mv@gmail.com to reserve your seat.
 
Dec 19  “Beginning in the Dark”  Rev. Rob Hardies
11:00 am on Zoom
 
Many of our spiritual journeys begin in the dark—the dark of mystery, unknowing, doubt and struggle. For most of the holiday season, though, it's the light that gets all the attention. This Sunday we’ll pause to honor the gifts of the dark. 
 
Dec 26  Winter Solstice service led by Rebecca Gilbert and Barb Caseau
11:00 am on Zoom.
 
And if you find that you could use a little extra spiritual grounding this season, over and above our Sunday services, I invite you to consider “dropping-in” on our weekly Meditation Circle on Tuesday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 on Zoom. E-mail Ed Merck at ejm646@gmail.com to register.
 
I know that for some of us, the holidays are a time of joyful connection, while for others they can be a lonely and difficult time. If you are struggling this season, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me (I’ll be on island from December 10-19) or Rev. Vicky Hanjian for support.
 
Friends, I’m really looking forward to seeing many of you in person this month. I hope this holiday season will be an opportunity for all of us to experience the warmth and love of our UUSMV community.
 
Love,
ROB

Rev. Rob Hardies
Consulting Minister

 
My UUSMV contact information is:
Email: revrobuusmv@gmail.com
Mobile: 202-294-9032
 
Hi everyone, I hope you are all well and have a wonderful holiday!  I will be traveling to see family this weekend and will be returning next week.  My office hours will be Tuesday and Thursday.  I will continue to be available remotely and the best way to contact me is the UUSMV email:  uu.society.mv@gmail.com . 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.  Please send anything for the Friday email by Thursdays at 10 am.  Stay warm!
Ann
You can join our service on Sunday at 11 am by following this link:  
 https://zoom.us/j/9407668736?pwd=STN5bVZXd21neEpmaUxTYW5ib0pWdz09
The UUSMV Zoom ID# is 940 766 8736, password is 735531
Or call:  1-646-558-8656, and when prompted give this ID# including the pound sign at the end:  9407668736# and the password 735531
 
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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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