(The Fellowship meets at the Jewish Community Center in Hermon Hill (Route 83) the second and fourth Sundays September-May. Services and Sunday School are held at 10 AM.  Refreshments and conversation follow.)

!!!!!!HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!

 

 DECEMBER SCHEDULE

 Sunday, December 8: Justice Sunday

Speaker: Carolyn Forno, Assistant Director of the Women’s Coalition of St. Croix

 Sunday, December 15: Covenant Group at the home of Emy Thomas, led by Gail Nealon.We will be finishing our series: What UUs Believe.

 Sunday, December 22: Holidays/Holy Days Musical Tribute: Hanukkah, Christmas, Solstice and Kwanzaa.  Led by Rev. Qiyamah Rahman and pianist Marsha Shuman.

 

 

MAJOR FELLOWSHIP WEEKEND IN JANUARY

 

Save the weekend of January 11-12 for UU. We will have the privilege of hosting an expert from the regional UU staff, here to help us define goals for the future and how to meet them. Connie Goodbread of the UU Regional Congregational Life Staff will lead a workshop on Saturday and a service on Sunday. See details following.

 

Nothin’ Standin’ in Our Way

Saturday, January 11, 10 AM to 2 PM: Stewardship Workshop with pot luck lunch at the synagogue.Please come and take part in a deep discussion about our congregation that Connie will facilitate.  We will have an opportunity to talk about our expectations, dreams and concerns.  Connie is an organic facilitator and so the discussion will go in the direction we need it to go.  She brings expertise in congregation development and a deep love for Unitarian Universalism.  Connie considers us the experts when it comes to our congregation.  She will help us to articulate our vision and develop our mission.  We will discuss growth and size issues and how we might appeal to younger people and families.  Please come and join in this exciting discussion.

 

Gratitude and Generosity

Sunday, January 12, 10 AM — Stewardship Service led by Connie at the synagogue.  Her sermon is titled Gratitude and Generosity. She says about her sermon:  “Gratitude and generosity are instrumental in living a happy life.  We are the keepers of this moment. We are the writers of this chapter.  What happiness shall we give the world?  What shall we leave the children?  What are we called to be in the world?  What will our legacy be?  Unitarian Universalism has at its foundation in deep values of hope, love, justice, courage and joy.  These are the values that can change the world.  How will we give then away?”

About Connie

Connie Goodbread, one of our Regional Congregational Life Staff, has served as the Program Consultant for Florida, Mid-South and Northern New England Districts.  She also served as the Interim District Executive for St Lawrence District and the District Executive for Mid-South District.

Connie has studied Healthy Congregation development and congregational conflict identification and transformation with Rev. Dr. Peter Steinke.  Prior to her district work, Connie was a Healthy Congregations and Conflict consultant. Connie is a trainer of Dr. Steinke’s Healthy Congregations process and has written a Unitarian Universalist supplement to Dr. Steinke’s work called The Smart Church.

She has co-authored an emerging congregation process called, The Chrysalis Way. Connie is part of a team that redesigned and leads the Dwight Brown Leadership Experience and Southern Unitarian Universalist Leadership Experience.  Connie has also co-authored Your Faith Home – a new UUA pamphlet. http://www.uuabookstore.org/searchproducts.cfm

She is a Credentialed Director of Religious Education with over twenty years of experience in two different congregations.

Connie lives in Palm Harbor Florida with her husband Bob.  She has two Granddaughters who are the light of her life.

 

COLLECTION FOR PHILIPPINES Our fellowship has made a donation to the relief effort following the devastating typhoon in the Philippines.  We sent $200 from our Social Concerns budget plus a special collection from the congregation taken on November 24 to the UU Service Committee’s fund directed toward that relief.

 

QIYAMAH’S COLUMN

It is hard to believe that the conclusion of the year is just around the corner. One of the highlights of the season is the Holidays/Holy Days Musical Tribute featuring a wide array of music. The Musical Tribute integrates components of education, worship and entertainment. The educational component familiarizes us with ritualized expressions that reflect the values and beliefs of varied faith traditions including Unitarian Universalism. The worship component features rituals and songs that capture the beauty and sacredness of the Holy Day/Season while inviting attendees into a space of reverence and contemplation. And finally, the entertainment element simply captures the pure joy of music and singing. Our December 22 Service will highlight the following Holy Days/ Seasons: Hanukkah; Christmas; Solstice; and Kwanzaa.     

Religious Education (RE)

Spiritual and intellectual growth for children, youth and adults remains one of the most compelling challenges facing faith communities. No religious movement can thrive without a vibrant commitment to religious education or lifespan faith development (as it is now called).

Our RE program for children and youth is an important part of our Fellowship and one that we are working to stabilize. We strive to provide a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment for our children and youth. We honor and respect each child as a valued individual with unique gifts to share.

Our desire is to provide an opportunity for the children and youth to embark upon self-discovery. We provide the foundation of religious community and Unitarian Universalist values that our children can ground themselves in as they grow and develop.

We do not teach one truth. We guide our children by allowing them to explore many truths (theologies, ideologies, and philosophies) while establishing their Unitarian Universalist identity. We believe that this exploration allows them to find the path that is right for them – while knowing they are an essential part of our Unitarian Universalist community.

Unitarian Universalist Principles for Children

We Believe:

• ·         That each and every person is important;
• ·         That all people should be treated fairly and with kindness;
• ·         That we should accept one another and keep on learning together;
• ·         That each person must be free to search for what is true and right in life;
• ·         That all persons should have a voice in the things that concern them;
• ·         In working for a peaceful, fair, and free world;
• ·         In caring for our planet earth, the home we share with all living things.

(You can find the adult version of the UU Principles in the Singing the Living Tradition (hymnal) #594 and on the back of the Sunday Order of Service)

 

P.O. Box 3034, Kingshill, VI 00851 * www.uustcroix.org *

Rev. Qiyamah: * revdocrok@gmail.com704-458-7676