First Unitarian Church Weekly Newsletter

November 19, 2020

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This Weekend at First Unitarian Church

Upcoming Worship Service

Nov 22, 2020

Livestreamed at 10:30 am (prelude begins at 10:25) - https://youtu.be/WSNzaVIH0Ig

“Words Spoken Before All Others”

In a prayer sometimes referred to as the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, the “words spoken before all others” are words of thanks. We’ll explore the spiritual practice of gratitude, even in difficult times. Led. by Rev. Connie Grant and Erica Shadowsong, Director of Lifespan Religious Education. Music by Ellen Gozion, Director of Instrumental Music, and Maddie Izzo, flute.

Introduction to Unitarian Universalism
Fourth Sundays of the Month, 11:30 – 12:15

Find out more about the history, varied theologies, and organization of Unitarian Universalism. Led by church staff and representatives of the Membership Team. Fourth Sundays of the month, November 22. Start out in Zoom social time following the service, and you’ll be directed to a breakout room for “Intro to UU.” RSVP to Constance.L.Grant@gmail.com to receive the link.

Racial Justice Series - Caste: #5 Occupational Hierarchy
When Sunday, November 22, 2020, 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM Virtual

Occupational Hierarchy "In all social systems, there must be a class to do the menial duties, to perform the drudgery of life. That is a class requiring but a low order of intellect and but little skill. Its requisites are vigor, docility, fidelity. Such a class you must have. It constitutes the very mud-sill of society." Sen. James Henry Hammond, quoted by Isabel Wilkerson

Pittsburgh Freethought Community, First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, and Sunday Assembly Pittsburgh are co-sponsoring weekly discussions based on the new book by Isabel Wilkerson, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. There will be eight sessions, each focusing on one of the eight Pillars of Caste which Wilkerson identified by researching commonalities among the Hindu caste system in India, Anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany, and Anti-Black racism in the U.S. Each session will begin with a brief explanation of the selected Pillar and a discussion focusing on how these characteristics are manifested in our society and how we can dismantle those policies and practices that maintain White supremacy. It will not be necessary to have read the book in order to participate. Sessions will be held on November 22, 29, and December 6 and 13. Please register for each session individually.

https://pghfreethought.org/event-4008343

NEWSLETTER NEWS

Bylaws Revisions

Revised Bylaws Approved!

A huge “Thank you” from the Board of Trustees to all of the voting members who participated in Sunday’s Special Congregational Meeting to approve the revised church Bylaws. Despite a somewhat complex electronic voting process, you hung in there and got the job done! It was truly an affirmation of our 5th principle: “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.”

Special thanks to Claus Makowka for managing the voting process and to Nancy Latimer for managing the Zoom meeting and patiently walking everyone through the multiple steps of getting “registered to vote.”

The following documents have been posted on the church website

· 2020 Bylaws

· 2020 Bylaws with changes tracked

· List of Bylaws amendments

Those who wish to review the full results of the balloting can do so via these links:

· Registration: https://secure.electionbuddy.com/results/7DYE8TSXFSQM

· Amendments 1-4: https://secure.electionbuddy.com/results/MEFG8S4GJ7WE

· Amendments 5-7: https://secure.electionbuddy.com/results/ULQHSXXLTEPM

· Amendment 8: https://secure.electionbuddy.com/results/2JXKTXXZYBSE

· Bylaws approval: https://secure.electionbuddy.com/results/LZ2PTSZBV37K

Notice of Annual Budget Meeting
Sunday, December 6, 2020 – 12:00–1:00 p.m.

Via Zoom

(A link will be sent to your email address on Saturday, December 5)

The Annual Pledge Drive is over – the next step is preparing the budget for next year!

All members and friends of First Unitarian Church are invited to attend the Annual Budget Meeting.

Treasurer Kyle Gracey will present the proposed 2021 church budget and answer questions.

Our budget process is open and transparent. Please come to listen and ask questions!

Keep on Moving Forward: We’re Almost There - But Are We Waiting For YOU?

As of November 16, we have raised $354,395, approximately 85 percent of this year’s pledge drive goal of $415,000. We know and deeply appreciate how hard so many of you have been working this election season, and understand if you just haven’t gotten around to pledging. But now is the time! The Board is preparing the 2021 budget this month, so it’s vital that every pledge be entered.

If you haven't’ yet pledged, please take five minutes (or less!) right now and click this link to make your pledge: https://www.first-unitarian-pgh.org/connect/donate/make-your-annual-pledge/

If your financial circumstances have changed and you are unable to make a 2021 pledge, please contact Reverend Connie for a waiver. It’s important for our membership records to have a pledge or waiver on file for each voting member.

Thank you for your support of our church!

New Website is Here
First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh has a new website. If you’ve bookmarked www.first-unitarian-pgh.org, you won’t have to change a thing.

The new design, based on a template from the Unitarian Universalist Association, is more attractive and user-friendly. We have carried over information from the existing site, reorganizing some of it, and adding some new information, including some pages to help you keep track of the ministerial search.
The new site includes easy-to-use forms to submit information for the church calendar of events and for announcements or reports about activities and happenings. We’re asking all church committees to regularly contribute to events, news, and other updates. The site will also include familiar forms for pledging and making donations.

Now that the site has launched, we need your help. New websites often are a little “buggy,” despite best efforts to make sure everything is perfect. If you find typographical errors, links that don’t work, or other issues as you browse the new site, please send an email describing the problem to webteam@first-unitarian-pgh.org.

CONNECT

RUaUU? Orientation Toward Membership at First Unitarian Church via Zoom

Are you considering becoming a member of the congregation and want to find out more about what that means?

How do people of diverse beliefs become part of one congregation? Enjoy a morning of exploration about your own spiritual and religious orientation and the workings of the church, led by Rev. Connie Grant and representatives of church programs.
Please contact Rev. Connie Grant if you are interested in participating.

Men's Group
The December 9th meeting of the Men's group will be from 7:30 to 9:00 with a ZOOM gathering.
We will begin with our usual check-in and then - we will have a discussion. Someone told me that the Nov meeting was a downer thinking of what we most dread about getting older. OK, let's turn the question on its head for the holiday season. What are some of the good things about getting older that we appreciate and celebrate? If you need any help with the zoom link, get back to me. Bob Mitchell or I will send the link a few days before the meeting. For more information contact Jim at J5650R@comcast.net.

Women’s Alliance
First and third Thursdays of each month on Zoom from 10:30 a.am. to 12:15 p.m. From 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 we have a business meeting and announcements.
All are welcome!
Contact Alice Carnes, co-chair, alice.carnes51@yahoo.com 704-453-4175 or Kathy Fein, co-chair, kathyrsp@comcast.net 412-337-4925 for the Zoom invitation.

COVID back to school help
Parents/Guardians-
Are you worried about your children starting school during these uncertain times? Do you need someone else to help to engage your child? Would you be interested in having an adult church member paired with your child for tutoring, storytelling, or even as a pen pal to practice writing?

Adults Volunteers-
Are you interested in helping a child at our church by tutoring, telling a story, or being a pen pal?

If you could use such help for your child or would be interested in volunteering to be paired with a child, please contact Stephanie Pawlowski at sbpawlowski@gmail.com. Stephanie will collect names and send out a survey to determine the specific needs of the families and the availability and preferences of the volunteers. Because everyone has different needs, this relationship could be in person or online. Providing your name does NOT guarantee a match. It all depends on the number of people that would like to get involved and their specific needs and availability. Let’s help each other!

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 would like to set up meetings using the church account please contact Rev. Connie Grant at Constance.L.Grant@gmail.com.

Connecting with the First Unitarian Church
It's easier than ever to share your enthusiasm for our church and congregation. Just like you might tell friends and family about First U, you can use your social media accounts to do the same, especially in this digital world. Here are a few things to try:

If you are a Facebook member:

· LIKE and FOLLOW our Facebook page

· LIKE, comment, and SHARE when you see a post (you could share the weekly service announcement and invite your friends)

If you've been attending/watching the Sunday Services on YouTube:

· LIKE the service video each week

· SUBSCRIBE to the First U YouTube channel

It's amazing how many people we can reach just by sharing with our friends. You may be a lifeline for someone searching for a community in these trying times. If you have questions on how to do this, reach out to Nancy Latimer (nlatimerc@gmail.com) or Mark Whittaker (mwhit14@gmail.com) for help.

SERVE

Church Sponsored Activities and Community Events

Allegheny County Air

After last week's run of especially dirty air in Allegheny County, we should all be motivated to do our part to let leaders know we need change! PennEnvironment is one of many groups working on this, as well as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The public comment period for RGGI opened a few weeks ago-- and they have already collected almost 1,000 public comments. That's great progress, but they need to reach their goal of 6,000. If you haven't already, go to this link bit.ly/RGGIforPA and share it with friends, family, and neighborhood groups.

Toy Drive for Matilda Theiss Center

For many years, our church has provided toys, hats, and mittens to children served by the Matilda Theiss Health Center in the Hill District. The Center provides primary health care for people of all ages, including uninsured patients, and is the only federally qualified health center within UPMC. We will be continuing our Holiday gift tradition a little differently this year, but we want to make sure that all the children will receive gifts this Holiday season.

We know you love to shop for these gifts, choose a tag from the tree so you can buy for a toddler, school-age child, or teen, and then place it under a Christmas tree in the Sanctuary. But, to keep you safe and out of the shops, our team will have all the fun this year! Last year we hung tags for 130 children and this year we have 108 children to buy for. Our committee has information from Matilda Theiss about the children’s gender and ages, so we will shop accordingly. Just so we don’t have all the fun, we will share photos of the toys when we deliver them early in December.

So, this year the Holiday Toy Drive will, with gratitude, be the recipient of this month’s Share the Plate Sunday. We are asking the congregation to contribute so that the committee can purchase toys, hats, and gloves for the children. The deadline for contributions is Friday, December 4th.

We thank you in advance for your contributions to this longstanding tradition that supports our local community. And we look forward to 2021 when we can see the Christmas trees at church with toys, hats, and mittens stacked underneath!

Sharing the Plate!
Is there an organization you’d like to nominate to be the recipient of our third-Sunday Share the Plate offering? Please send your nomination to Tony Rutigliano (arutigl@comcast.net) on behalf of the Serve Council. Please include the following information:

Name of organization

Website address or other source 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)

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 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
Rev. Connie Grant: constance.l.grant@gmail.com Phone: 847-840-8542 (Church Office: 412-621-8008)

INSPIRE

Upcoming Worship Services

Nov 29, 2020

Livestreamed at 10:30 am (prelude begins at 10:25) - https://youtu.be/xEBOVXpM9yI

“Unexpected Gifts Worth the Wait”

Can waiting be a time of discovery and surprise?

A collaboration of the Worship Team: Bryan Bandli, Alice Carnes, Kathy Fein, Louise Jencik, Ward Kelsey, Stephanie Pawlowski, and Melody Platz. Music by Ellen Gozion, Instrumental Music Director.

LEARN

Adult Religious Education

New Fall Book Groups!
Explore the following books with others throughout the year!  To sign up, email eshadowsong@first-unitarian-pgh.org with the title/s you are interested in. Those who sign up for the same book will be connected with each other, to decide meeting dates and times based on your availability. You can sign up for more than one. Once there is a minimum of 3 people for a title, those people will be contacted.

Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything by  Viktor E. 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.

UUA Common Read 2020:  Breathe A Letter to My Sons by Imani Perry
Emotionally raw and deeply reflective, Imani Perry issues a challenge to society to see Black children as deserving of humanity. She admits fear and frustration for her African American sons in a society that is increasingly racist and at times seems irredeemable. However, as a mother, feminist, writer, and intellectual, Perry offers an unfettered expression of love—finding beauty and possibility in life—and she exhorts her children and their peers to find the courage to chart their own paths and find steady footing and inspiration in Black tradition. The New York Times calls Breathe “an elixir of history, ancestry, and compassion, which, together, become instruction…a parent’s unflinching demand, born of inherited trauma and love, for her children’s right simply to be possible.”

Breathe offers a broader meditation on race, gender, and the meaning of a life well-lived and is also an unforgettable lesson in Black resistance and resilience.

The First Christmas: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Birth by Marcus J. Borg & John Dominic Crossan
In The First Christmas, two of today's top Jesus scholars, Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan, join forces to show how history has biased our reading of the nativity story as it appears in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. As they did for Easter in their previous book, The Last Week, here they explore the beginning of the life of Christ, peeling away the sentimentalism that has built up over the last two thousand years around this most well known of all stories to reveal the truth of what the gospels actually say. Borg and Crossan help us to see this well-known narrative afresh by answering the question, "What do these stories mean? " in the context of both the first century and the twenty-first century. They successfully show that the Christmas story, read in its original context, is far richer and more challenging than people imagine.

UU Spiritual Affinity Groups
Do you consider yourself a UU Buddhist? UU Christian? Buddhist? Humanist? Pagan? All of these and more are part of our congregation, but not all of us know who we are! I am looking to help those interested to start affinity groups in which they can explore and practice those spiritual paths that call them the most. Unitarian Universalism represents a wide variety of faith paths among individuals who share our 7 Principles in common. Many of us have a need to engage with our spiritual paths with others more directly and frequently than we otherwise might as a whole congregation. Please email eshadowsong@first-unitarian-pgh.org to let me know of your interest. When I have a minimum of 4 for any group, I will connect you with each other and we will discuss possibilities for activities, learning, and engagement.

Young Adults Religious Education

Young Adults Small Group
Weekly Meetings on Zoom
Please join us for our weekly meeting at 7pm on Wednesdays.

We are currently going through a program called Spirit In Practice, which explores spiritual practices for Unitarian Universalists. Interested in joining us? Email Erica at eshadowsong@first-unitarian-pgh.org

Children and Youth Religious Education

The Artist's Way for Parents - New Book Group for Parents!

Now a book group especially for parents of school-aged children and youth.

According to Cameron, “Every child is creative—and every parent is creative. Your child requires joy, and exercising creativity, both independently and together, makes for a happy and fulfilling family life.” Focusing on parents and their children, newborn through age twelve, The Artist’s Way for Parents builds on the foundation of The Artist’s Way and shares it with the next generation. The spiritual concepts and practical tools in this book will guide parents as they steer their children gently to greater creativity. The Artist’s Way for Parents provides an ongoing spiritual toolkit that parents can enter—and reenter—at any pace and at any point in their children’s early years.

This book group will be facilitated by the LRED, with dates and times to be determined by committed participants. This group will be held if there is a minimum of participating parents of 6 families. Participants can be parents in the RE program or who have school-aged children and are friends or visitors of the church. Contact the LRED at eshadowsong@first-unitarian-pgh.org right away if interested!

FALL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION has started, Sundays @ 11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m!
Join the director of religious education and religious education volunteers for an ongoing exploration of living our Unitarian Universalist faith at home, in our families, and beyond. During this year of the church building closure, we are spending more time than ever with our families, a situation that presents many challenges, but also some opportunities. Religious education for children this year will have a multi-age, family focus; parents are invited to attend with their children via Zoom.

There will only be one Sunday class for children, which in most cases will be led by me. We will focus on a different Principle and Source every three weeks, practicing applying Unitarian Universalist values to all the teachings and stories that hold meaning for us, no matter where they come from. The goal for this year will be for children to be able to experience Unitarian Universalism not just as a way to explore other faiths from the outside, but as faith in its own right. Classes are intended for school-aged children or younger, but will be tailored according to those who attend. So that there will be something for everyone, the opening part of each class will be geared toward the youngest attendees, who may not be able to stay for the whole half hour class. Zoom information will be sent to the parent list; please email me directly to be added to the list at eshadowsong@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 at firstuupghombudsman@gmail.com

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First Unitarian Church · 605 Morewood Avenue · Pittsburgh, PA 15213 · USA

Racial Justice Series - Caste: #5 Occupational Hierarchy When Sunday, November 22, 2020, 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM Virtual

Racial Justice Series - Caste: #5 Occupational Hierarchy
When Sunday, November 22, 2020, 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM Virtual