THIS SUNDAY | 10 AM
THE WONDER OF PEOPLE
Online ~ and available via Zoom
Join a call with our UFP community just before 10 am. We’ll greet each other, share announcements and spend time together in Breakout Rooms.
https://tinyurl.com/UFPsundayservice
Then we’ll take a ‘virtual field trip’ to join the Kingston online service at 10:30 am here: https://bit.ly/KUFSundays22-23
Every person is a source of wonder: How did they become who they are? Why do they live where they live? What are their goals? In this service we’ll indulge our curiosity about wonder as three members of the congregation tell us about an experience which changed one of their goals, a belief, or altered a life plan.
~ thank you to Rev. Beckett Coppola of the Kingston Unitarian Fellowship for welcoming us to join their service this Sunday!
Invite your friends!
Special Collection for December
Our Special Collection for December:
YWCA Crossroads Shelter Donations can be made through Canada Helps or to UFP via etransfer or cheque, noting YWCA in the message box or memo line. This video describes the support Carissa received from the shelter.
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THIS SUNDAY | 3 PM
GROUNDED IN LOVE ~ AN ILLUMINATING OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE FOR ALL AGES
Camp Kawartha Environment Centre
2505 Pioneer Rd, PTBO
You're warmly invited to join UFP and our broader community! The event is drop-in from 3-4:30pm + a community fire from 4:30-5pm.
Join us in the afternoon as the sun is setting, beautifully nestled in nature, around a roaring fire as we celebrate the turning of the season. There will be an indoor warming station for those who require/desire it.
What was your first experience of wonder? Your first moment of awe? What can winter teach us about being present to the wonder and awe inside us and around us?
Come and play, sip, sing, walk the cedar spiral, connect, wander the woods with a lantern & allow yourself to be held by the beauty of this season.
This is for you if you:
- long to be in nature
- know there is wisdom in the seasons
- are in need of nourishment
- believe that healing happens when all generations come together
- are seeking spiritually rich experiences
- are craving experiences where all ages are truly welcome
Check out the Facebook Event, here.
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Video of our December 11 service.
Our recent services are here.
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A COMMUNITY FOR EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK
Zoom links for our Sunday service and all programs can be found HERE.
Keep connections alive by joining our private Facebook group by request. (Email our Administrator, Barb at uu.ptbo@gmail.com). There, you can share joys, sorrows, questions, pictures, and invitations to watch parties, or book discussions, or other activities.
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MONTHLY COLUMN FROM PETER BOULLATA
I’ve had several occasions this fall to congregate with ministerial colleagues, both in person and online. It is always encouraging to be with others in the profession to exchange stories, ideas, successes, and to commiserate. Lucky me, my friend and colleague the Rev. Julie Stoneberg was among them! She wanted to pass on a little of her news to the members and friends of the Unitarian Fellowship of Peterborough.
Julie writes:
“I am just beginning to sleep well again after months and months of interrupted sleep. I take this to mean that I am settling in, both with my decision to move and all the upheaval that move created (and I still regret all that I left behind and in my wake.) I’ve purchased an e-bike and am commuting to the church as often as possible. This is my small way of resisting the suburban pressures to drive and shop. I love it! And every time I ride, I miss Peterborough trails, bike lanes and bike racks!
It is really lovely to be within driving distance of family and old friends, and I’ve already had more visitors than I had in many years in Peterborough. Having guests has contributed to me feeling at home in my hotel-like apartment, although I am homesick for my sweet place on Albertus Ave. I have so many fond memories of UFP gatherings and meetings there.
UU Church West is very much like UPF and very much not like UFP. I’m learning a lot, being stretched and challenged, and they have welcomed me with lots of care and appreciation. Just like UFP they love potlucks and singing and have lots of committee meetings!
I’m looking forward to the possibility of coming to Ottawa in May to deliver the confluence lecture. So, I hope to see many UFPers there!!
Unitarian Universalist ministers have a covenant among us, an agreement to support each other, maintain ethical standards worthy of our calling, and not to interfere in one another’s ministry.
This last—agreeing not to interfere in a colleague’s ministry—is often understood in a reduced shorthand: a minister has to stay away from the congregation they used to serve. While this is the usual practice, this is not a “rule” given from “upon high.” Nobody came down from Mount Sinai and forbid Julie from being in touch with her former parishioners. Rather, she voluntarily commits to our professional covenant and best practices, to allow her former congregation to deepen their relationship with her successor.
When the UFP welcomes your next settled minister, how that person’s relationship unfolds with Julie will be between them, keeping in mind the mutual affection between Julie and the UFP and the natural inclinations of the heart. If ministry is about any one thing, it is about relationship. In our covenental tradition, ministers seek to be in right relation with each other as well as the communities we love and serve. Whatever the exact shape of your future relationship with Julie looks like, it will be one that is life-giving and affirming for all.
Your companion for the journey,
~ Peter
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UPCOMING UFP EVENTS
CHRISTMAS EVE --- VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
The Christmas Eve Candlelight Service with stories, caroling and candles begins at 7:00pm on December 24, in the sanctuary and online.
This special service needs helping hands. If you’d like to be a reader in the service or if decorating the sanctuary is of interest, please let us know. Perhaps greeting would be fun or serving hot cider and cookies? This service really calls for a team. Please contact Meredith Hill or Jessica Smith and one of us and we'll happily welcome you on board! meredithhill631@gmail.com or uu.ptbo.dre@gmail.com
Please note that for in-person services we require masks for participants.
CHRISTMAS DAY & NEW YEAR'S DAY
Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on Sundays this year. On December 25 there will not be a Service here; we have been invited to join the Kingston Unitarian Fellowship ONLINE services that day. On January 1 we will provide an ONLINE service from UFP! Details to follow next week.
Links for online services will be in The Flame and on our website each week.
JOURNEYS GROUP in DECEMBER - WONDER!
Journeys packet for December should now be in your hands, and is on the UFP Journeys page.
The theme is Wonder. What fills your heart with wonder? We’ll be sharing our stories of Wonder and perhaps finding new ways to look at the world – with wonder. Come ponder what’s in your heart with our community of explorers.
- Tuesday Dec 20 at 3:30 – 5:30 pm in person at the Fellowship. (Enter on the west side and follow signs.)
Barbara and Marcia look forward to seeing you soon. For further information and to find out how to join please contact Donna Harris at (705) 743-0795 or donnah.lifewalk@gmail.com
NON-FICTION BOOK CLUB | DECEMBER
Maude Barlow shares her story in Still Hopeful: Lessons from a Lifetime of Activism. 
In this timely book, Barlow counters the prevailing atmosphere of pessimism that surrounds us and offers lessons of hope learned from a lifetime of activism. She knows first hand how hard fighting for change can be and that it can happen with an essential ingredient - hope.
Join us via Zoom on Thursday Dec 22 at 2pm: https://tinyurl.com/UFPBookClub
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UFP NEWS
Gift Card Proceeds Benefit our UFP Community!
We have a variety of retail, grocery and gas cards available for sale. They can be purchased by contacting Cesca at 705-743-0795 or by email at francescawarriner@gmail.com. The email for e-transfer payments for gift cards is: payforgiftcards@peterboroughunitarian.ca.
We appreciate and thank you for your continued support.
UFP's Financial Year End is December 31.
If you wish to make a donation and receive a 2022 tax receipt, time is running out! If you require reimbursement for an approved expense, please fill out the form HERE and submit it with receipts to bookkeeper@peterboroughunitarian.ca.
Helping Hands to Revive Coffee Hour
Coffee hour after service is a time-honoured tradition and centrepiece of community in most churches and that includes us! Our system for making that happen on Sundays needs reviving!
If YOU think that this time of being together is important, might you help to form a team to take it on? There are purchasing, set up, serving and clean-up responsibilities — and past volunteers familiar with all of these tasks. Please contact Barbara at the office to add your name to the list!
Used Books Conundrum
It's time for a purge of the remnants from our Blue Horse Cafe fundraiser stored in the program room on the main floor. Who wants to take charge of these books? One option is a donation to Friends of the Library~Peterborough Public Library. Contact Scott Donovan if you can help!
Lift-Aids
Now that we’re together again in person, folks are using our first class lift as an alternative to the stairs. Yay!! To meet demand, we need a team to support people in their vertical journey. It's easy to learn from a trained person. You simply (1)Find the key (2) Push and hold (3)Be patient!
If you need the lift, reach out and we’ll help.
Refugee Sponsorship Update
It’s the time of year to make sure charitable donations can be included in your 20 22 tax return. You are likely hearing from every charity you ever supported and we are no exception! While we are extremely grateful for your generosity, funds are still needed for Nada and for the Zaki family, who continue to wait in Tajikistan for clearance. Cheques can be made out to the Unitarian Fellowship of Peterborough, with 'Refugee Sponsorship' on the memo line. We also accept donations through the Canada Helps web portal on the Fellowship website, Faith In Action.
Happy Holidays from our Steering Committee, Arthur, Ben, Donna, Erica, and Linda!
Special Collection
Our special collection for this month is for the YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, an organization that provides services and programs for local women and their children escaping gender based violence. Your donation will support the YWCA’s Crossroads Shelter, which provides 24 hour emergency shelter, meals and support for women, with and without children, experiencing abuse of any kind (physical, emotional, sexual, financial, stalking, etc.), 365 days a year.
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
SOLSTICE FUNDRAISER CONTEST
Unicamp is thrilled to announce their 2022 Solstice Fundraiser! You could win a weekend at any of the cottages in 2023. All you have to do is make a minimum donation of $15. For every additional $15 donation you get another entry! https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/065224ec-b537-4431-a199-b916bac688b1
Contest runs to Dec 20 - winner chosen Dec 21st!
SACRED CIRCLE DANCE
Special Solstice Dance: Tues Dec 20, 7-9 pm.
"In Deep Darkness, Dreaming of the Light"
Try an embodied spiritual practice. Connect with yourself, the community and all life. Sacred circle dance encompasses music, dance, meditation, reflection and connection. No dance experience, musical background or partners are needed to participate – just your dancing spirit! We dance on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month 7-9 PM at St. John’s Anglican Church, 99 Brock St. For more information email Paula Greenwood
LUNCHTIME ORGAN RECITALS for ADVENT 
CONNECTING CIRCLES
Connecting Circles meet about twice monthly for an hour of sharing and mutual support. If you want to be part of a circle, contact Steph Wildheart.
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OUR WIDER COMMUNITY
More information about all of these is available on our website.
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Seeking volunteers at the New Canadians Centre
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Peterborough Community Carol Sing
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Sacred Circle Dance
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Fundraising for Elder Dorothy Taylor
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Kawartha Truth and Reconciliation Support Group
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Monthly Peace Vigil
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Community Art-Making hosted by Creating Space
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