MUUS Matters April 2-8, 2021

MATTATUCK UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY

Moving to a New Home . . . Making a Difference

This month will mark the start of our stewardship campaign for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. When your letter arrives in the mail, followed by a phone call from Jim Templeton or Ed Edelson, please give serious consideration to what you would like to pledge this year. I have begun to consider my annual contribution to be a sort of “mutual fund” of charitable giving. When I donate to the Mattatuck Unitarian Universalist Society, what does my money help support?

work toward ending social injustices
promoting environmental awareness
supporting our local communities’ food banks
nurturing my own spiritual growth and that of my family: priceless!

The causes MUUS supports and actively works toward realizing align with the same causes I used to write many different checks for; by pledging the bulk of my charitable donations to MUUS, I have the same causes covered each year. Well, except for Girl Scout cookies . . .

I look forward to many interesting conversations as we enter this stewardship season!

In faith,
Denise Pedane, Board President

MUUS’S ONLINE AUCTION

April 17, 6 pm

Just 16 days left until our “40 years and Counting” auction. We have some very exciting items to bid on this year including a two-night stay at the White Horse Inn in Vermont, a gift certificate from Good News Restaurant and Bar, Traditional Azorean Portuguese Immigrant dinner, or haircuts for your family at your house. The Auction catalogue will be premiered on April 11th and bidding will start on the 14th. There will even be a 50/50 raffle so be sure to read the newsletter each week for the most up to date information.

Parent & RE Leader Meeting

(Virtual on Zoom)
April 7, 7 – 8 p.m.

Parents and religious education teachers are invited to join the Lifespan Religious Education (LRE) Committee on Wednesday, April 7, 7 – 8 p.m. for a brief virtual meeting. The LRE Committee will provide updates about plans (in progress) for the remainder of the year. The committee is looking forward to discussing plans and is eager to have feedback from our parents and RE teachers.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/98997469108?pwd=YVNmMGpuSlduaTZueG5iUUdxc0k5QT09

Meeting ID: 989 9746 9108
Passcode: 491174

Our Spiritual Theme for April is

Dear Beloveds,

After a year of pandemic living, we the survivors, will craft a life “after.” What will become of us in the time after? What will become of our country? What will become of our congregation? It’s been said on many memes and in many essays that to return to the “normal” of the “before time” is not an option. The pandemic has emphasized the problems of the “old normal” – we are over scheduled, over worked, under-paid, and there are vast inequalities of wealth, of access to adequate health care, of access to adequate education, of access to the right to vote. I hope that in the “after-life” all of us become better at being the person we feel called to be. I hope that our congregation(s) become free of the old normal patterns of “that’s the way we’ve always done it” so we can create vital, energized, faith communities. I hope that the wakeup call to injustices of all types doesn’t fade and that a return to more things to do and more places to be doesn’t lull us back to sleep and keep us from making progress toward beloved community. I am trying to see this “after-life” as an opportunity to give myself greater permission to speak truth to power, to take care of myself, to learn more about others, to put into practice the love in my heart, to become part of new and better world. What do you hope to become? Perhaps our month spent exploring the theme of BECOMING will help you figure it out.

With love,
Rev. Tony

Our spiritual theme for April is “Becoming”. Join us Sunday mornings or later in the week at our virtual worship services. Rev. Tony, members, and friends as well as guest speakers participate in the services. Our virtual choir along with our pianists Ann and Alan add beautiful music. These new innovations in technology and the generosity of time and talent from volunteers make it possible to share our Unitarian Universalist messages and values with all of you.

April 4 - Easter Sunday “The Power of What’s Possible” Rev. Tony Lorenzen reflects on the power of permission to try new things and explore what’s possible for our lives and of our congregational life in the post pandemic world.

The service is posted on: https://facebook.com/muusct/live.

Tune in at 10:20 a.m. for announcements, and the service begins at 10:30 a.m. You do not need a Facebook account to view the service.

Hymn of the Month: “Rising Green” – We will use this hymn in each of the month’s services. The UUOne virtual choir has recorded a version. To add YOUR voice to this joyful song, contact Ann Quackenbos or Jeff May!

MUUS Coffee Hour

Join us after the Sunday Service for Coffee Hour.
Bring your own coffee and visit. All are welcome!

https://zoom.us/j/96028428691?pwd=MEdqa2pBNHVEV3k5QXY0MG9ERWhWUT09

Meeting ID: 960 2842 8691 Password: 672120

Small Group Ministry

Small Groups have a powerful and transformative experience. Join a Soul Circle - an online small group ministry that meets regularly on Zoom. Groups are now meeting, but you can join anytime. You can sign up to join a group by clicking on this link: https://uucentralct.org/soul-circles/ or contact Rev. Tony.

Rev. Tony has created a Google Drive for Soul Matters materials for Small Group Ministry that can be found on the members page of the website under Soul Matters.

Zoom Book Group
Read with Rev. Tony Minister’s Book Group

Facilitator: Rev. Tony Lorenzen, revtonyuu@gmail.com

Zoom info: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8988433706
Description: Read novels with spiritual and religious themes and discuss with Rev. Tony. The group meets 3rd Wednesdays at NOON on Zoom during Lunch with the Minister, so bring your lunch and log on. The range of novels spans a wide spiritual and religious spectrum and includes a variety of fiction genres such as science fiction, memoir, fantasy, historical fiction, travelogue, and literary novel.
April 13 - The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk (Pagan)
May 11 - American Gods by Neil Gaiman (Multi-Pantheon Fantasy)
NOTE – No need to contact the facilitator, just read and come to lunch. Lunch will happen regardless, if people read the books, so much the better!

The UU Who is a …….. Buddhist

Sunday, April 4, 2021 at 4-5 p.m.

Facilitator: Rev. Tony Lorenzen, revtonyuu@gmail.com

Zoom info: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8988433706

Description: Using short quotes and readings from Unitarian Universalists who identify as UU Buddhists, Rev. Tony reflects briefly on the basics of Buddhism and then leads a discussion about Buddhism, Buddhist practice, and why this appeals to many Unitarian Universalists and how some UU Buddhists experience their UU-Buddhism. First in an ongoing series of conversations looking at the various spiritualities found in our faith such as Humanist, Buddhist, Christian, Pagan, Jewish, etc.

NOTE – Please contact facilitator at least 24 hours ahead of scheduled date and time if you plan to attend. If there is no interest before a scheduled event time, the event will be cancelled.

The Bible for Liberals, Skeptics, and Non-Believers – New Testament/Christian Scriptures

Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 7-8 p.m.

Facilitator: Rev. Tony Lorenzen revtonyuu@gmail.com

Zoom info: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8988433706

Description: Learn the basics of the literary-historical-critical approach to the Bible. We will take close looks at the four Gospels, the authentic letters of Paul, and Revelation. IMPORTANT: This is a fast hour of quick presentation and discussion that covers a LOT of ground. SO, Before the class, please visit this web page https://uucentralct.org/the-bible-for-religious-liberals/ and read through the slideshows “Getting Started,” “Literary Elements and Definitions,” “Geographic Location”, and “Political Setting.”

NOTE – Please contact facilitator at least 24 hours ahead of scheduled date and time if you plan to attend. If there is no interest before a scheduled event time, the event will be cancelled.

Share the Plate: New Routines

MUUS had a tradition of supporting local and national organizations making the world a better place by putting donations in “the basket” twice a month. The basket is gone (for now) but our giving tradition doesn’t have to be.

Click on the picture to donate

Monica Burnham
For the Social Justice Coordinating Team

Black Lives Matter

Justice Woodbury – meets Sundays at 12:30 p.m. at North Green in Woodbury. Justice Southbury – meets Sundays at 2 p.m. at Playhouse Corner

MINISTER’S SCHEDULE

It’s easy to donate on the website: MUUSCT.org use a credit card or PayPal. Or mail in your weekly donations to MUUS, P.O. Box 876, Woodbury, CT 06798. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Support MUUS when you shop anytime, by shopping at “smile.amazon.com." There’s also a link for Amazon Smile on the homepage of our website MUUSCT.org. Amazon donates .5% of your purchases to us at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

MUUS 2021 Common Read

The UUA has chosen Breathe: A Letter to My Sons by Imani Perry as the 2020-21 Common Read. Breathe offers a broad meditation on race, gender, and the meaning of a life well lived as well as an unforgettable lesson in Black resistance and resilience.

MUUS will hold our discussion on Monday, April 26 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. We have 5 books available for purchase for $12 each. If you are interested in purchasing one of these books, please email Margrit Morley at m7grit@gmail.com.

We also have a limited number of books that we would like to offer to others outside the MUUS community to encourage a more diverse group and to make the discussion more meaningful. If you know of someone outside MUUS that might be interested, please email Margrit Morley at m7grit@gmail.com. Hope to see you there!

INTRODUCING SAUNDER CHOI,
GA 2021 MUSIC COORDINATOR

Soul Circle Small Group Ministry with Rev. Tony

First Fridays of the Month at 10 -11:30 a.m.

Facilitator: Rev. Tony Lorenzen, revtonyuu@gmail.com

Zoom info: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8988433706

Description: Using the Circle of Trust format popularized by Parker Palmer, Rev. Tony facilitates reflection on the month’s spiritual theme. IMPORTANT-each month we reflect on resources that are emailed well ahead of the meeting, so the earlier you let Rev. Tony know you are interested, the more time you have the material.

NOTE – Please contact facilitator at least 24 hours ahead of scheduled date and time if you plan to attend. If there is no interest before a scheduled event time, the event will be cancelled.

Zooming with Circle of Gaia

April 21, 7:15 p.m.

Join us at our April Book Group Zoom meeting at 7:15 p.m. to discuss Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk. The Woodbury Library is now open for patrons or call to pick up your copy outside on the shelf. Just ask them for a copy that is reserved for MUUS.

Here is the link to join the ZOOM:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83632129257?pwd=cTV2TnlPR0pLY3ZpcWdpVDQwSE9vZz09

Meeting ID: 836 3212 9257
Passcode: Gaia

Not this week Rev. Tony will be away on study leave

Next LUNCH with the Minister
Wednesday, April 14, Noon on Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8988433706