Our Spiritual Theme for April is
Monthly Spiritual Challenge: Five Pictures of Becoming
As we age, our understanding of becoming shifts; it’s a bit less about where we’re headed and more about where we’ve been. Our concern with our “emerging self” lessens and is replaced with thoughts about our “whole self.” We don’t simply picture ourselves as who we are and who we hope to be, but instead as all of who we’ve been. So, this month get in touch with the wholeness of who you are by finding 5 pictures of who you have been!
Here’s some guidance: Don’t just find any old 5 pictures. Instead find five pictures that capture five key stages/chapters of your life, five chapters that are key to who you are. For instance, a picture of you as the catcher on your pee wee baseball team, you at college graduation, you during your college gap year, your marriage, you and your first kid, you during your struggle with illness, when you learned guitar at 50, you at the funeral of your mother or best friend, you walking in your favorite part of the woods. The goal is not only to capture pieces of you, but to pull them together in one space. (For you creative folks, consider using them to create a collage!)
When you are done, spend some time with all of them. What do you see in the wholeness of the pictures that you may not have noticed before when looking at them all by themselves? How do they tell the story of who you are? Where’s the through line? Where’s the bend in the road that says so much about you? How does each picture still live in you? What message or invitation do they have for the “emerging you”? Bonus Task: Find one more picture, one that represents that “emerging you” - the “you” that is just now joining the story.
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 11 - "What's Gonna Set You Free"
The Rev. David Jarvis presents the idea that all spiritual systems tell us that "You are OK" and "Everything is Going to be OK" but only through a process of becoming and fear is the major obstacle to that becoming.
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 this song to an imaginative accompaniment by Rev. David Jarvis. To add YOUR voice to this joyful song, contact Ann Quackenbos or Jeff May!
|
|
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 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.
Unitarian Universalism and Intersectionality: Understanding Self and Others in our Evolving World
Sunday, April 25, 2021 at 4-5 pm
 Facilitator: Dr. Tricia J. Stewart ( triciajstewart18@hotmail.com), Associate Professor in the Doctor of Education in Instructional Leadership in the Education and Educational Counseling Department at Western Connecticut State University.
Zoom info: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OIOR9nBFSrfcD9nasbgM6Z3ScQS1gcWe/view?usp=sharing
Meeting ID: 960 2842 8691 Password: 672120
Description - This time together will help us foster an understanding of intersectionality. It will also include a discussion of ways that principles of Unitarian Universalism are a natural fit to support intersectionality as a theory and a lived reality. Part of the time in this session will be spent looking at the ways that each of us has many identities, as a way to ground the experience.
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.
|
|
Social Justice Coordinating Team News
In Robin Di Angelo’s 2018 manifesto, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, she describes white supremacy as “a highly descriptive sociological term for the society we live in, a society in which white people are elevated as the ideal for humanity, and everyone else is a deficient version.”
At our last Social Justice Coordinating team meeting, Ed Edelson shared some thoughts about white supremacy. Committee members reflected on past and present financial contributions and volunteer efforts aimed at ameliorating the inequities among people of color.
This month the SJCT committed one hundred dollars to The Encore Fund for Color of Change, an organization dedicated to raise up communities of color, address systemic injustice and structural violence. Through the generosity of MUUS members and friends to the Share the Plate Fund, past donations included national organizations such as Black Lives Matter and the Equal Justice initiative and local ones to The Greater Waterbury Interfaith Ministry and Children’s Community School. Volunteers make monthly peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to GWIM and have served as mentors and book club participants to CCS. MUUS members have served as committee chairs to New Start Ministries assisting in the settlement of refugee families.
As we strive to look for opportunities to address racism, better educate our members and understand white supremacy, it is our hope to initiate a racial justice book group. To that end, our Common Read on April 26 will feature Breathe: A Letter to My Sons by Imani Perry. Outside groups have been invited to encourage participation and discussion from a more diverse group.
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
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
Rev. Tony Lorenzen returns from his study leave on April 12. And will be in his home office Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. He is available for appointments on Zoom, phone or online chat. Monday is Rev. Tony’s day off, Friday is his Sermon prep day. You can reach Rev. Tony at (508)-344-3668 and revtonyuu@gmail.com
Rev. Tony Lorenzen Minister, The Unitarian Universalist Church in Meriden and The Mattatuck Unitarian Universalist Society cell:
508-344-3668 revtonyuu@gmail.com
Website: http://revtonyuu.com
Facebook facebook.com/RevTony Twitter @revtonyuu.
Helping Hands
If you or someone in our congregation needs help, please contact helpinghands@muusct.org for assistance. We are keeping those who are ill or struggling with life circumstances in our thoughts and prayers. Please check our website www.muusct.org for additional resources for dealing with the COVID 19 pandemic. We are working to continue to be of assistance from a distance via ZOOM, etc.
Judith Frances, Liaison for Helping Hands
|
|
 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 7pm 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.
If you know of someone outside MUUS that might be interested, please email Margrit Morley at m7grit@gmail.com. Hope to see you there!
 UUA GA Update: Circle Round
Circle 'Round for Justice ● Healing ● Courage is the theme for General Assembly 2021. You may now view the full GA schedule! While we still have some big upcoming announcements (like this year's Ware Lecturer - details coming soon!), you can now preview the abundance of Virtual GA programming including 75 On-Demand Programs and 39 Live Webinars. And remember, there is no "tyranny of choice" at a Virtual GA because anything attendees miss live can eventually be watched On-Demand!
|
|
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
 Poetry Reading Group
April 22nd, zooming 2:30 pm.
Everyone is welcome! Featured poet is award winning Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1912-2021). He was also a painter, novelist, activist, playwright, co-founder of City Lights Booksellers and Publishing. In 1998 he was selected to be the 1st Poet Laureate of San Francisco and helped create the “Beat movement”. In 1948 he published “Coney Island of the Mind”, one of his more famous books within his 30 published poetry books! His social justice themes are just as relevant now as ever!! His writing is for people on the street, not just for those in colleges. Online there is a section of his quotes, such as: “I am waiting for the lost music to sound again in a new rebirth of wonder”. “Poetry is the shadow cast by our streetlight imaginations”. Please contact Barb Eler (806-485-8118) if you have any questions or would like more information.
Wednesday, April 14, Noon on Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8988433706
|
|
|
Monday, April 12
7:00 p.m. Green Sanctuary Virtual Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/96951983905?pwd=RjM3R0VoeWRvMnFNaTlVaU9PMnd1UT09
Meeting ID: 969 5198 3905
Password: 254560
Wednesday, April 14
12:00 p.m. Lunch with the Minister
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8988433706?pwd=MGhVZ0szRW0rZGVQRHR0L2xzQlk2QT09
or by phone at +1929 205 6099 or log in to Zoom MeetingID: 898 843 3706
Password: R3vT0nysRM (lowercase v, 3 not e,and Zero not letter O)
7:00 p.m. Communications Committee Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92795300732?pwd=elVvazN0Rldha0ZEcXV1MXlyTldxdz09
Meeting ID: 927 9530 0732
Passcode: 101464
|
|
|
|
Final Countdown! MUUS’S ONLINE AUCTION
