Sunday Service, August 29, 2021

Animals Are Blessings. Lay Speaker: Emily Quarles-Mowrer

Carl Sagan once said something reminiscent of our 7th Principle. He said, “Like it or not, we humans are bound up with our fellows, and with the other plants and animals around the world. Our lives are intertwined.” For this special service, we will be honoring the ways that our lives are intertwined with the lives of animals. We are inviting the congregation to bring a personal story about an animal who has touched your life, and a picture as well if you would like. We will have time during the service to share the unique contributions that animals make in our worlds

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From the Minister’s Desk–July 2021

A few days ago, Congress established June 19 as a federal holiday – Juneteenth – to commemorate the date, June 19, 1865, when slaves in Texas were officially notified that they were now free, two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution, making slavery unconstitutional and ending slavery in two border states, Delaware and Kentucky, was ratified on December 6, 1865. The immediate result of the new federal holiday was that some federal employees, because June 19 fell on a Saturday this year, had the day off on Friday, June 18.  But what will the long term effect be?  What impact will the new holiday have on the descendants of former slaves?  Will we do any better now than we did a century and a half ago? In general, slaves were not allowed to learn to read and write; they owned no property or anything else. The progress of Reconstruction period was ended with the Compromise of 1877, when Hayes became president following the contested election of 1876.  The history of the subsequent Jim Crow era is not a happy one.  How are we doing today, 67 years after the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education?

In 1953, when I was 10 and my brother 13, we moved from one Detroit suburb to another, to a higher status suburb, to a house that would enable my brother and me each to have our own bedroom, to a house with more than one bathroom. One day following the move I happened to be reading the deed for the house (why I was doing that I have no idea) and discovered a restrictive covenant, prohibiting the sale of the house to Blacks and probably to some other categories of people. I was upset by this and asked my father about it.  He assured me that the covenant no longer had any legal effect (the Supreme Court had struck down racially restrictive covenants in 1948, Shelley v. Kraemer). But discrimination in housing persisted: It was banned by the Fair Housing Act in 1968.  But how much progress have we made in housing integration since I was 10?

Prior to the Civil War, many Unitarians and Universalists were abolitionists, mostly prominently Theodore Parker. But there were others whose livelihoods depended on slavery. And John C. Calhoun of South Carolina was a Unitarian and a preeminent defender of slavery.

Woodrow Wilson was not a Unitarian or a Universalist, but before he was president of the United States he was president of Princeton University. Princeton’s school of public affairs was named after him as was the university’s alternative to the selective dining club system, the Woodrow Wilson Society, where I took my meals. I was unaware at the time how racist he was as president (or maybe I was aware but considered it irrelevant ancient history). Now Wilson’s name has been stricken from the public affairs school and he is no longer celebrated at Princeton.

So here’s my suggestion: to educate and reinforce our UU anti-racism, to inspire us to go from words to deeds, let’s charter a bus some time in the months ahead and spend several hours at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, in Washington DC.

Love, Dave

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President’s Message–July 2021

“Life’s most important and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?”   ~ Martin Luther King

It’s hard to believe that this month starts another new fiscal year for the UUFP. And with that comes some changes to the Board of Directors. I’d like to welcome the new members of the Board: Mary Ryan, our new Secretary and Allan Pallay, a new Member at Large. Having new members join the Board is always a good thing, because they bring new ideas and offer diversity of opinions that only help to make the Board more effective in meeting the needs of the Fellowship. I’d also like to recognize that Kris Barnthouse will now be our Treasurer. Miranda Van Horn will assume the role of Member at Large and Rick Duske will continue in his role as Vice-President. I look forward to working with this Board of Directors as we face a new year with new opportunities for the fellowship.

I would also like to recognize someone who has chosen to step down from the Board, Linda Pallay. Linda has been on the Board in some capacity for over fifteen consecutive years. Her roles have included that of President, Secretary and Treasurer. I believe that Linda embodies the MLK quote above because she has certainly done so much for the UUFP over the years. Linda’s calm leadership, thoughtful demeanor and ability to think strategically made her a valuable member of the Board. Her presence on the Board will be greatly missed; however, I think that you all will agree that she has earned a well-deserved break. Linda, thank you for all that you have done to support the UUFP over the years.

The first few months of the new year will have the Board focusing on bringing our fellowship together in-person: First, with outside services during the summer and then with indoor services starting in September. I am also hoping that sometime in the fall, the Board will be able to hold a retreat where we will evaluate how we handled the COVID 19 situation, what we have learned about the fellowship and how it functioned during this time and what will be our focus moving forward. In order to do this effectively, the Board needs to hear how members and friends feel about these issues. Therefore, once we are back together, members of the Board will be reaching out to you for your perspective. I also want to let you know that the board would like to hold another Congregational Meeting sometime in the first half of this fiscal year to vote on issues that we did not address during the last two Congregational meetings. Stay tuned for further information.

I will end this month’s message with a request. The UUFP Community is sustained by the various committees and Board Members which are comprised of friends and members who volunteer their time and talent. The challenge we face, however, is that some of our committees have only one or two people (yes, Jon Price IS the Building and Grounds Committee). If you would like to become more active in supporting the UUFP community by donating your time, please reach out to a Committee Chair or a Board Member to discuss how you can help. Any additional effort is greatly appreciated by all.

In gratitude, Linda K.

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Garden Corner — July 2021

Our Gardens

Our fellowship garden is thriving and already yielding a substantial amount of produce for the Pottstown Cluster. There was over 3 pounds of sugar snap peas harvested and donated on Wednesday, June 23rd and there are still many coming on! Cucumbers, peppers, squash and tomatoes are on their way and the garlic will be harvested soon and set out to dry. Our herb crop is also proliferating, providing fresh parsley, dried oregano and thyme to the Cluster on a regular basis.

We are currently in a battle with poison ivy growing along the East side of the area near the garden and within the fencing. So, until we get a handle on it please steer clear of this area.

I want to thank everyone for their help with the watering, weeding and harvesting. Our group has grown a bit so I want to thank Bev, Erica, Allan, Kim and Mary for all of their efforts!

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Sunday Service, July 4, 2021

Service will not be held today. We hope you have fun this 4th of July, please stay safe.

We will return for a Zoom service next week, July 11th. Please click on the opening webpage for access to the zoom service.

We will return to our outdoor in-person services on July 18th.

Thank you.

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Sunday Service, July 11, 2021

The Diversity Which Unites Us.
Speaker: Rev Christine Robinson: Unitarian Universalist Minister.
Human Beings are hard wired to like people who are just like they are and think just like they do. We grow into appreciation of the spice of variety and the challenge of living comfortably and justly with differences. How does that work in a congregation that says it is open to spiritual diversity, that understands the need for a diversity of people, and yet… contains human beings who want to be comfortable?

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Sunday Service, July 18, 2021: held at UUFP


Who’s Afraid of the Ten Commandments? Rev Dave Hunter.
What role do the Ten Commandments play in our lives? In the life of our nation generally? How many of us could recite them from memory? Is it time for some fresh commandments? Do we really need ten of them?

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Sunday Service, July 25, 2021

Walking the Distance. Speaker: Emily Quarles-Mowrer.
One of my favorite posters from the late 1990’s features a lone penguin standing on an ice-flow with its adorable little wings spread wide. The caption on this poster reads, “Until you spread your wings, you will never know how far you can walk.” Some people pity the little penguin, but I see a message of acceptance. The penguin isn’t railing against nature for giving him wings better suited to water than air, but calmly moving forward, eyes toward a distant goal. Just like the penguin, all of us have limitations. Can we, like the penguin, accept the limitations of today and keep walking toward a better tomorrow?

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Previous Events at UUFP

UUFP’s Fall Clean up Party — Saturday, September 11, 2021

Join us for a (much needed)  work party on Saturday, September 11th, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., and help us prepare for our Annual InGathering Water service the following day, Sunday, September 12th.

Some of the tasks we hope to accomplish:  Yard work– weed, weed whack, mow; Eliminate Tree of Heaven on grounds for Spotted Lanternfly control; Finish painting playground fence; Work on individual indoor projects; Help with end-of-season gardening tasks.

Please wear a mask, bring a drink & a bag lunchHope to see you there!

UUSC HAITI CRISIS RESPONSE — September 2021

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization advancing human rights together with an international community of grassroots partners and advocates. At this time, they are raising money for their emergency fund which will support grassroots community groups in Haiti responding to the earthquake.

While most relief funds raised following a crisis go to large international NGOs, UUSC supports locally led, grassroots organizations who are best positioned to respond because they know the affected communities and their needs. Unlike large aid agencies, which roll out large-scale disaster programs in a one-size-fits-all approach, UUSC understands that when a disaster strikes, people’s situations vary greatly, depending on their race, class, and sexual orientation or gender identity. Their work begins with an understanding that how people are oppressed before a disaster will affect their access to relief after a disaster.

You can learn more about UUSC and/or make a donation at UUSC.org.

July 2021

July 17th Clean up Party and Cookout
As promised we are letting everyone have a second crack at cleaning up
the building and grounds at UUFP! We got a lot done on May 15th
but now’s our chance to bring it on home!
As always weeding is at the top of the list of jobs, as well as painting the playground
fence, mowing, etc. There are also jobs that need to be done indoors, so if you have a
project to work on and want to avoid the heat this might be for you!
At 12:00 noon we will end work and have a cookout with hot dogs along
with other picnic fare.
Kay will send out an email beforehand to get RSVP’s to plan for food.
All are welcome to help out.

June 2021

Odyssey of the Mind World
Competition Results


As previously reported, Rick & Erica’s daughter, Lorien, is a member of a local Odyssey of the Mind Team. Odyssey of the Mind is an annual, world-wide creative problem-solving competition for kids from kindergarten through college age. Her team met at UUFP during the spring to work on scenery, props, their script, and rehearsals, because the school district is closed on the weekends due to COVID
restrictions. Lorien’s team placed first in both the regional and state competition. The team then moved on to the world competition, which was also held virtually. We have just learned that they placed 8th out of 76 teams in her division and age group! They did fantastic in spite of all the challenges they faced this year. The team was very thankful for the use of our building, which allowed them to meet together as a team. Hooray for Lorien’s team!

Our walking group has stopped for now so that we can get back in to our regular outdoor activities. Thank you for joining us during the pandemic as our way to socialize outside!

Our last walk was at Pottstown’s Riverfront Park, 140 College Drive, Pottstown.

This local park is easily accessible, has a convenient parking lot, a cozy pavilion and a few benches along the path. The trail is easy to walk, relatively flat and meanders along the Schuylkill River.

Hope to see you there at 10:00 AM, Saturday, May 1st. Put on your walking shoes, wear a mask and be ready for some good conversation.

FYI: The walking club meets the first Saturday of each month at 10:00 AM at a location decided by the group.
As always, wear a mask, dress appropriately & be ready for some good conversation.
Hope to see you there!
-Events Committee
Questions? Call or text Kay Price at 610-659-4802

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From the Minister’s Desk — June 2021

Emergence!

It looks like we are finally beginning to emerge from the depths of the pandemic. The White House announced that 50% of adults have been vaccinated. Case numbers  are down. What has your life been like these last fifteen months? Has it felt like 17 years buried in your cave, alone, dependent on others – family, friends, a huge infrastructure of helpers to keep you supplied with necessities? Have you felt isolated, disconnected, needing those same family and friends, a huge infrastructure of technology to keep you connected? And for entertainment, learning, information about the world around us? It’s been odd, disorienting, a struggle for some, and also something of a relief for those of us who are introverts.

What sort of changes are you experiencing now? Are you fully vaccinated and feeling somewhat safer? Are relaxed masking mandates changing your behavior? Here at White Horse Village, over 90% of the residents are vaccinated and we are allowed to gather in small to medium groups, unmasked. Meal delivery is ending as we return to the dining room. But in public situations – which for me means grocery stores and my pottery class – I am still masked, for the sake of the unvaccinated and unknown passers-by. I feel like I am finally emerging.

Meanwhile, another emergence is beginning. Brood X of the 17 year cicadas have spent most of a lifetime as underground  larvae and nymph forms, eating and growing and shedding old forms to begin coming out in their millions, ready to make a lot of noise so as to ensure the next generation the 17 year cycle. I learned recently that they are not only harmless (assuming you don’t panic when one gets into your car while you are driving) but actually beneficial. My old friend Carol Wagner (with whom I connected again via Facebook, after many years) posted these facts from the Love Our Land website:

  • • They prune mature trees.
  • • They aerate the soil.
  • • Bird populations will increase.
  • • They provide a food source to nearly everything with an insect diet.
  • • They leave plants healthier.
  • • They are an awesome natural fertilizer.
  • • They are a symbol of rebirth, spiritual realization and ecstasy, and immortality.

There’s a challenge! The UUFP board points out that we have never been “closed” but we have been connecting virtually all these months, shedding old forms and preparing to emerge again to in-person meeting for worship and celebration, learning and helping. (See our website for more details on the decision process on how and when we hope to meet.)

But, as we look forward to emergence, let’s think about more than “getting back to normal.” For the cicadas, “normal” is 17 years underground followed by a brief but glorious symphony of mating calls and commitment to the next generation. How do we want to celebrate our return to the above ground world? What have we learned from our time apart? What new energy can we bring? How shall we bless the world?

With love and hope, Kerry

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